BIS RESEARCH PAPER NUMBER 76
Evaluation of Apprenticeships:
Learners
MAY 2012
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The responsibility for the report rests with the authors at IFF and IER.
The views expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET
www.bis.gov.uk
Research paper number 76
May 2012
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Contents
Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 3
About the Research authors ......................................................................................................... 6
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 1: Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... 7
The profile and characteristics of apprentices............................................................................... 7
Motivations .................................................................................................................................... 8
Application channels and sources of information, advice and guidance....................................... 8
Overall satisfaction and advocacy................................................................................................. 9
Quality of training and service from the training provider............................................................ 10
Learner involvement in the design of their Apprenticeship ......................................................... 10
Views on the volume, balance and duration of training received as part of the Apprenticeship . 10
Impact on skills and abilities........................................................................................................ 11
Impact on employment circumstances, outcomes and progression ........................................... 12
Impact on earning potential......................................................................................................... 13
Continued learning and progression ........................................................................................... 14
Personal Development................................................................................................................ 14
Conclusions................................................................................................................................. 14
Chapter 2: Introduction ................................................................................................................ 18
The policy context ....................................................................................................................... 18
Method ........................................................................................................................................ 19
Chapter 3: The profile and characteristics of apprentices and their employers .................... 22
Demographics ............................................................................................................................. 22
Apprenticeship Framework ......................................................................................................... 26
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Employer Size and Sector........................................................................................................... 28
Entry Route ................................................................................................................................. 30
Contractual conditions................................................................................................................. 33
Apprenticeship duration .............................................................................................................. 34
Chapter 4: Motivations and the application process................................................................. 38
Motivations for starting an Apprenticeship .................................................................................. 38
Alternatives to Apprenticeships................................................................................................... 41
Sources of information, advice and guidance ............................................................................. 43
Application channels used .......................................................................................................... 44
Ease of applying for and securing an Apprenticeship ................................................................. 46
Chapter 5: Satisfaction with the Apprenticeship ....................................................................... 47
Overall satisfaction with the Apprenticeship................................................................................ 47
Differences in overall satisfaction with the Apprenticeship by the level of the Apprenticeship ... 50
Differences in overall satisfaction by broad framework area....................................................... 50
Differences in overall satisfaction with the Apprenticeship by age.............................................. 52
Differences in overall satisfaction by other factors...................................................................... 54
Drivers of overall satisfaction (multivariate analysis) .................................................................. 56
Differences in overall satisfaction by impact and outcomes of the Apprenticeship..................... 59
Recommending Apprenticeships to others ................................................................................. 60
Chapter 6: Exploring the quality of Apprenticeships ................................................................ 62
Apprentice views on the quality of training and service from the training provider ..................... 63
Involving learners in the design of their Apprenticeship.............................................................. 68
Views on the volume, balance and duration of training received as part of the Apprenticeship . 70
Employer input and support ........................................................................................................ 77
Additional support needs............................................................................................................. 80
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Importance of specific elements for learners .............................................................................. 80
Chapter 7: The impact of Apprenticeships................................................................................. 82
Impact on skills and abilities........................................................................................................ 82
The impact of Level 2 and Level 3 Apprenticeships.................................................................... 84
Where are Apprenticeships having the biggest impact on learner skills? ................................... 85
Impact of various factors on skills, abilities and prospects (multivariate analysis)...................... 90
Apprentice views on the value of their Apprenticeship compared to academic alternatives....... 95
Impact on employment circumstances........................................................................................ 95
Impact on progression at work .................................................................................................... 98
Impact on earning ability and potential...................................................................................... 101
Impact of various factors on key post-completion outcomes (multivariate analysis)................. 104
Impact on job-hunting and employment prospects ................................................................... 109
Continued learning .................................................................................................................... 109
Personal Development.............................................................................................................. 112
Sharing of experience ............................................................................................................... 113
Chapter 8: Future Plans ............................................................................................................. 114
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 114
Likelihood of completion............................................................................................................ 114
Continued development and progression ................................................................................. 114
Aspiration toward further learning and training ......................................................................... 116
Chapter 9: Conclusions.............................................................................................................. 119
Appendix A – Framework Groupings........................................................................................ 123
Appendix B – Multivariate analysis........................................................................................... 124
Logit and ordered logit models.................................................................................................. 124
Appendix C – Questionnaire...................................................................................................... 126
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
About the Research authors
David Vivian, Director at IFF Research, specialises in public policy research, particularly
on employment, education and training issues. David has been involved in researching
Apprenticeships for many years, from evaluating Apprenticeship provision and factors
affecting completion, retention and achievement for various LSCs, to more recently
assessing the impact of the Apprenticeship Vacancies system for the National
Apprenticeship Service.
Mark Winterbotham, Director at IFF Research, specialises in employment, learning and
skills research. Mark has undertaken many projects on Apprenticeships including a recent
evaluation of the Apprenticeship Expansion Pilot for the Skills Funding Agency and a joint
IER/IFF study for BIS examining the net cost to employers of Apprenticeship and WPL. He
also led a recent study examining the prior qualifications of apprentices and an earlier
study exploring the reasons for non-completion of Apprenticeships.
Laura Godwin is Senior Research Manager at IFF Research specialising in employment,
learning and skills research.
Sam Morris is a Research Executive at IFF Research with a background in social
research.
Terence Hogarth, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Research,
has nearly 30 years of experience analysing labour market issues; for the last 20 years he
has been based at IER where he has led a programme of research into employer
investments in training and human resource development policies. He has undertaken
many studies on Apprenticeships, including the recent study for BIS on Employer
Investment in Apprenticeships and WPL, a study on completion rates for the LSC and an
Options Study for the Long Term Evaluation of Apprenticeships for BIS.
Dr. Lynn Gambin, Research Fellow at IER, is an econometrician who has worked on a
number of Apprenticeship studies (including the current Net Costs to employers study for
BIS and the Options Study).
Acknowledgements
The study has benefited from the assistance of many individuals. The Steering Group
provided guidance and assistance throughout the study for which many thanks are due:
Vikki McAuley (Project Manager) (BIS)
Simon McKee (BIS)
Nick Grout (BIS/DfE Apprenticeship Unit)
Martin Ward (National Apprenticeship Service)
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 1: Executive Summary
This report details the findings of a telephone survey conducted in late 2011 of 5,000
individuals that were undertaking an Apprenticeship or had completed an Apprenticeship
in the previous 12 months.
The profile and characteristics of apprentices
Across all current apprentices and recent completers, there was a relatively even split
between those aged under 19 (30%), aged 19-24 (34%) and those aged 25 plus (36%).
However, reflecting a recent upward trend in the age of people starting Apprenticeships,
three-fifths (61%) of current apprentices are aged under 25, compared against almost fourfifths (79%) among recent completers. The age profile of apprentices is derived directly
from the Individual Learner Record (ILR).
The demographic profile of apprentices by gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status
was derived from the survey findings. By gender, there was an even split among recent
completers, but those undertaking an Apprenticeship at the time of the study were more
often female (54%) than male (46%).
Just under a tenth of apprentices reported that they were non-white (9%). This suggests
that non-white ethnic groups are somewhat underrepresented compared against the
working age population as a whole.
Apprentices were most likely to come from C2 households (35%), followed by those in C1
or D/E households (29% and 28% respectively). Only 8% come from A/B households. This
suggests that apprentices are more likely to be from a lower socio-economic background
than the adult population as a whole.
Based on the ILR data, the largest framework groups are Business, Administration and
Law (26%) and Retail and Commercial Enterprise (22%), together accounting for nearly
half of all Apprenticeships. Other large groups included Health, Public Services and Care
(18%), Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (14%), and Construction, Planning
and the Built Environment (9%). The balance between Level 2 and Level 3 Apprenticeship
provision varies significantly by framework.
Although at the overall level the Apprentice cohort splits relatively evenly across the three
key age groups, there is significant variation by broad framework area, with under 19s
making up three-fifths of all apprentices (59%) in the Construction, Planning and the Built
Environment framework group, but less than one-fifth of those undertaking Business,
Administration and Law (19%), Health, Public Services and Care (18%), and ‘Other’
Apprenticeships (16%).
About a third of apprentices reported that they were recruited specifically as an apprentice,
while the remainder already worked for the employer before their Apprenticeship started.
Entry routes differed widely by framework. In Health, Public Services and Care, Retail and
Commercial Enterprise and Business, Administration and Law, around three quarters of
apprentices (74-78%) were already employees at the organisation when they started their
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Apprenticeship. In contrast, in Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Construction,
Planning and the Built Environment and Information and Communication Technology, a
significant majority (57-63%) were recruited directly as apprentices.
Two-thirds of apprentices (67%) reported that they were employed on a permanent or
open-ended contract. Where apprentices were employed on a fixed-term contract, around
half said that the contract was only fixed for the length of the Apprenticeship (15% overall).
Apprenticeships vary considerably in length. Based on learner reports (rather than ILR
data), fewer than one in ten Apprenticeships (7%) last less than 6 months, with just under
half lasting less than a year in total, a quarter (25%) for between a year and two years, and
the remainder (22%) for longer than this.
Motivations
Nearly half (48%) of apprentices saw their choice to carry out an Apprenticeship as a
decision made to progress their career, while about a third (35%) were primarily seeking to
achieve a qualification. A smaller proportion (13%) were seeking an opportunity to be paid
whilst training.
Apprentice motivations varied significantly by entry route, with those already employed
before starting the Apprenticeship significantly more likely to choose achievement of a
qualification over career progression as the key motivation (40% vs. 27% of those
recruited specifically to the Apprenticeship role).
Where the learner was already employed, in two thirds of cases, the decision to
undertaken an Apprenticeship was largely down to the learner themselves. One in nine
(11%) reported that their employer at the time made it a compulsory requirement of their
job role, while in a further fifth of cases the employer strongly recommended that the
individual undertake an Apprenticeship.
Application channels and sources of information, advice and guidance
Learners used a wide range of sources of advice when considering whether to undertake
an Apprenticeship; however more than half (59%) took advice from the employer with
which they carried out the Apprenticeship, with this being the most influential source of
advice for more than two fifths. The training provider or college providing the
Apprenticeship was the second most widely used source of advice, used by more than a
third (36%) of apprentices, although it was the most influential source of advice for only a
relatively small proportion (12%), with a slightly larger proportion of apprentices stating that
their family and friends were more influential (14%).
A small proportion (7%) did not take advice from anyone before starting their
Apprenticeship; most of these were apprentices who were already working for the
employer before the Apprenticeship.
Nearly two thirds of those recruited specifically as an Apprentice (64%) applied directly to
the employer, while just over a third (37%) applied via the college or learning provider. The
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Apprenticeships Vacancies System (on the Apprenticeships website) was the third most
widely used method of applying for an Apprenticeship (25%).
Overall satisfaction and advocacy
Overall satisfaction with Apprenticeships is high. Almost nine in ten apprentices (89%)
were satisfied (gave an overall satisfaction rating of at least six out of ten) and 71% very
satisfied (at least eight out of ten). As many as three in ten apprentices (30%) gave a
satisfaction rating of ten out of ten. The proportion satisfied rose to 92% amongst
completers.
Only 4% of all apprentices expressed dissatisfaction (giving an overall satisfaction rating of
less than five out of ten). Reasons for dissatisfaction focussed around a lack of support
from their provider, poor organisation and communication on the part of the provider, and a
lack of support or training from their employer.
Overall satisfaction was highest among those undertaking Construction, Planning and Built
Environment frameworks (77% very satisfied and a mean of 8.37 compared to 8.11
overall) and lowest amongst those undertaking frameworks in Health, Public Services and
Care (67% very satisfied and a mean 7.86), Leisure, Travel and Tourism (65% very
satisfied and a mean of 7.84), Information and Communication Technology (60% very
satisfied and a mean of 7.70). Apprentices in the ‘Other Apprenticeships’ framework group
not covered elsewhere were the least satisfied overall (55% very satisfied and a mean of
7.34).
Differences in overall satisfaction by broad framework area are influenced by differences in
the profile of individuals undertaking Apprenticeships within each group. Age is one such
driver with younger apprentices generally the most satisfied. However, this only holds for
some framework groups and it should be recognised that even amongst those aged 25 or
over, satisfaction with the Apprenticeship undertaken is still very high, with the large
majority (86%) satisfied overall.
Other key factors which influence satisfaction, often cutting across different framework and
age groups, include contract type (those on fixed term contracts, especially those for the
duration of the Apprenticeship, were less satisfied on average – a mean of 7.98), the role
of the employer in the decision to undertake an Apprenticeship (satisfaction was lower
where it was an employer requirement – a mean of 7.65) and the duration of the
Apprenticeship (those undertaking particularly short courses of less than 6 months were
less satisfied on average – a mean of 7.53).
For those completing their Apprenticeship, overall satisfaction is also associated with
employment outcomes. It is higher, for example, where a completer has received a
promotion (mean of 8.52 vs. 8.12 where not) and where they have received a wage
increase (mean of 8.46 vs. 8.04 where not).
Whether the learner started as an existing employee or was recruited specifically as an
Apprentice does not have a significant influence on the likelihood of someone being
satisfied with their Apprenticeship.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Reflecting high levels of satisfaction with Apprenticeships, three in five had recommended
this route to others (58% their specific Apprenticeship, 60% Apprenticeships in general).
Of those apprentices who had not yet actively recommended Apprenticeships to others,
four-fifths (81%) said that they would advocate this if asked. This leaves just one in twenty
apprentices overall who had not and would not recommend that others take an
Apprenticeship.
Quality of training and service from the training provider
Apprentices were generally very positive about the quality of training, the extent to which
training provided them with career-applicable skills and the relevance of training to their
careers. For each measure, around nine in ten (89% - 90%) were satisfied and around
three-quarters (71% - 76%) very satisfied. Similar levels of satisfaction were reported for
the way that their training provider had dealt with on-the-job assessments (88% satisfied)
and the quality of feedback received (87% satisfied).
Whilst apprentices covered by Retail & Commercial Enterprise and Business,
Administration & Law framework groupings were the most satisfied with the quality of
training received, they are less satisfied with the skills that it has given them that they can
apply in their job. The highest mean scores for provision of applicable skills were evident
for Apprenticeships covered by Construction, Planning & Built Environment, Agriculture,
Horticulture & Animal Care, and also the Health, Public Services & Care framework
groupings (who are significantly less satisfied with the actual quality of provision).
Learner involvement in the design of their Apprenticeship
Around half of apprentices (52%) felt that they had had some influence on the shape of
their Apprenticeship. Around one third of those who had not had input into the coverage
and delivery of the Apprenticeship would have liked to have done so, while the vast
majority of those who had an input were satisfied with the extent of their influence (only
12% wanted more). Taken together, 22% of all apprentices would have liked to have had
more influence on the coverage and delivery of the Apprenticeship.
Views on the volume, balance and duration of training received as part
of the Apprenticeship
Nine in ten apprentices (91%) said that they had received some form of formal or informal
training as part of their Apprenticeship. Three quarters (76%) had received some formal
training, either taking place at the workplace or on the premises of a learning provider with
a further 15% receiving informal on-the-job training (but no formal training). A small
minority (9%) did not report receiving either of these forms of training, although most of
these had filled in an Apprenticeship portfolio during work or studied towards your
Apprenticeship in their own time.
Four fifths of learners (80%) were satisfied with the amount of training that they were
provided with and a similar proportion (83%) with the balance that the Apprenticeship
provides between training and work. However, it is worth noting that, while the majority of
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
apprentices are content, compared to overall satisfaction and a number of other specific
aspects of the Apprenticeship, satisfaction is slightly lower for these two elements.
Apprentices covered by the Construction, Planning & Built Environment and Engineering &
Manufacturing Technologies framework groupings were most satisfied with both the
amount of training and how this balances with work.
The majority of apprentices (83%) felt that the length of their Apprenticeship was ‘just
about right’, 13% that it was ‘too long’ and only 4% that it was ‘too short’. Amongst those
undertaking Apprenticeships of less than 6 months duration, this rose to 11%
Apprentices were generally happy with the role that their employer is playing in supporting
their Apprenticeship (82% satisfied, 65% very satisfied). Most were also content with
employer involvement in the structure, delivery and content of the Apprenticeship although
satisfaction was lower on average (75% satisfied, 53% very satisfied). At around one in ten
of apprentices, there were higher levels of dissatisfaction when talking about the role of the
employer, as compared to aspects of the provider’s service.
Where the Apprentice is an existing employee, the employer generally provides less
support and is less involved in the structure, delivery and content of the Apprenticeship.
Furthermore, where the employer required the learner to undertake an Apprenticeship (as
opposed to the decision being down to the learner) there is more dissatisfaction with
employer support and involvement. This suggests a small group of learners for whom the
employer may only be interested in the individual gaining a qualification and where
employer involvement or engagement is minimal.
Impact on skills and abilities
Learners generally viewed their Apprenticeship as having a strongly positive impact on
their skills and abilities, both those which were specific to their chosen career and those
which were transferable between careers. Four fifths of apprentices (79%) believed that
their Apprenticeship had improved their ability to do their job, and a larger proportion
(84%) believed that it had provided them with skills or knowledge of benefit within their
current or desired area of work. Four-fifths (82%) felt that undertaking the Apprenticeship
had provided them with skills of benefit across sectors while a similar proportion (81%)
stated that it had improved their overall career prospects.
Only a small minority of apprentices (4%) reported no improvement across any of the
explored skill areas as a result of the Apprenticeship. The vast majority of these had been
working for the employer before they started the Apprenticeship and were aged over 19.
Those still undertaking their Apprenticeship at the time of survey were as likely to report
improvements in these skills as those who had completed and already well into their postApprenticeship working life. The high proportion of apprentices reporting these
improvements before even completing the Apprenticeship can be seen as a positive sign,
with apprentices seemingly being able to realise the benefits immediately in their work.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
There is a strong relationship between age and impact on learner skills with younger
apprentices considerably more likely to report improvements in their skills and abilities, as
were those specifically recruited as apprentices.
Those apprentices who said that they were doing the Apprenticeship to ‘get a qualification’
were less likely to report impacts on their skills for their current job or on their career
prospects than those who were doing the Apprenticeship ‘to enter or progress in their
chosen career’. Therefore it would seem that there are a significant minority of cases
where the Apprenticeship is being used as a qualification to certify skills that the individual
already possesses.
The duration of the Apprenticeship also has a significant impact on the likelihood of
apprentices reporting that they have improved their skills. Short courses are perceived by
apprentices to have a much lesser impact on their abilities and career prospects. For
example, the vast majority (90%) of apprentices with courses of longer than a year felt
they had (or would) acquire skills or knowledge of benefit within their sector, compared to
about two thirds (66%) of those on courses lasting less than 6 months.
The quality and amount of training received as part of the Apprenticeship and the support
provided by the employer all further impact on an individual’s skills development. For
example, where apprentices are dissatisfied with the quality of training received from their
college or training provider, only around half (56%) said that their ability to do their job had
improved, compared to eight in ten (82%) of those very satisfied with the quality of the
training. Where apprentices expressed dissatisfaction with the level of employer support,
they were much less likely than those very satisfied to say that they had improved skills
and knowledge of benefit in their current area of work (68% vs. 88%).
Apprentices ranked Construction, Planning and Built Environment frameworks as being
particularly effective in improving their ability to carry out their job, with almost all (98%)
reporting an improvement in this case. The lowest ranked in this area were Business,
Administration and Law frameworks, where just over two thirds (69%) of apprentices
reported an improvement in ability to carry out their job. It should be noted that
Frameworks showing lower impact tended to be those with a high proportion of
apprentices who were existing employees rather than new recruits (Business,
Administration and Law, Retail & Commercial Enterprise, Other Apprenticeships).
Impact on employment circumstances, outcomes and progression
The majority of Apprenticeship completers (85%) were still in employment, and most of
these (64% of completers overall) were with the same employer with which they completed
the Apprenticeship.
Amongst the sub-group recruited specifically as an Apprentice, a smaller proportion (80%)
were in employment, with only around half (54%) remaining with the same employer. The
unemployment rate was higher for those recruited specifically (12%, compared to 6%
amongst those completers already employed before the Apprenticeship, and 8% of
completers overall).
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Since completing the course, three quarters (75%) of all former apprentices in work were
taking on more responsibility; slightly fewer had better job satisfaction (71%), or felt that
their future pay and promotion prospects had improved (70%). Two thirds (66%) felt they
now had more job security, and a significant proportion (37%) had been promoted. This is
equivalent to one third (32%) of all completers having received a promotion.
These positive improvements in status at work were not always directly attributable to the
Apprenticeship. Over eight in ten (83%) who had progressed at work felt that the
Apprenticeship had helped them achieve this to some degree, although only one in seven
(15%) felt that the change could be attributed directly to the effect of the Apprenticeship.
This is equivalent to 13% of all completers in work saying that they had been achieved
progression directly because of the Apprenticeship.
Those apprentices who had completed Construction, Planning & Built Environment and
Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies frameworks were most likely to report positive
work outcomes and were also more likely than those in other framework groups to attribute
these changes directly to the impact of the Apprenticeship. Working completers in the
Retail & Commercial Enterprise, Business, Administration & Law, and Other
Apprenticeship framework areas were less likely to report any of the positive changes.
These differences are largely driven by the relative weight of the two different entry routes
within each framework, with experienced employees less likely than new recruits to
experience progression following completion.
Impact on earning potential
Nearly half (44%) of all apprentices who had completed their course had received a pay
rise at that time, rising to 77% amongst those completing Construction, Planning & Built
Environment frameworks and 71% among those completing Engineering & Manufacturing
Technologies frameworks. Mirroring findings on career progression, those undertaking
Retail & Commercial Enterprise and Business, Administration & Law Apprenticeships were
less likely to have received a pay rise on completion of their Apprenticeship (26% and 33%
respectively), as were apprentices in Information & Communication Technology (31%).
Nearly two thirds of those recruited specifically to carry out an Apprenticeship (65%)
received a pay rise on completion, compared to less than one third of existing employees
(31%). Existing employees will be on at least minimum wage whereas those joining as
new recruits are more likely to be taken on at the lower apprentice wage.
The proportion of apprentices receiving a pay rise was also linked to the length of the
course. Those on shorter courses are the least likely to receive a pay rise (21% of those
on courses of less than six months, compared to 62% of those on courses lasting a year or
more) and level - a minority (37%) of Level 2 apprentices received a pay rise on
completion, compared with more than half (55%) of Level 3 apprentices.
In terms of earning potential, the majority of all apprentices (completers and current) (84%)
thought that their Apprenticeship would help them to earn more in the future.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Continued learning and progression
There is a clear trend for completers of Level 2 Apprenticeships to carry on towards a
Level 3 Apprenticeship, with a quarter (24%) of completers already having done so, and a
further three in ten (30%) considering doing so in the future. Amongst those who had
completed a Level 3 Apprenticeship, 5% had started a Level 4 Apprenticeship with a
significant percentage (33%) considering doing so in the future.
The majority of current apprentices aspired to further learning; half (49%) thought it very
likely that they would undertake further training or learning leading to a qualification within
2 to 3 years of finishing their course, and a further third (32%) felt it was quite likely.
Personal Development
In terms of some ‘softer’ impacts, there is clear evidence of the impact of Apprenticeships
in raising aspiration, with a large majority (82%) of current and former apprentices
agreeing that the Apprenticeship had made them more enthusiastic about learning, and
over three quarters (77%) feeling that they had a better idea where they were going with
their career.
Apprenticeships also equip individuals with the confidence they need to fulfil their
aspirations, with almost nine in ten (87%) strongly agreeing that they are more confident
about their own abilities as a result of undertaking the Apprenticeship. Nearly two thirds
(62%) agreed that the course had improved their overall quality of life.
Conclusions
This evaluation has provided a comprehensive review of Apprenticeships through the eyes
of learners. It provides timely evidence of the real value of Apprenticeships to individuals,
whether they are new to the workforce or building on their existing experience.
The findings of this evaluation come at a time when there is significant focus from
government on ensuring that value and quality underpin the continuing expansion of
Apprenticeships. The National Apprenticeship Service has emphasised that the
fundamental minimum standard for Apprenticeships is that they should offer the three key
elements of employment, new learning and a nationally recognised qualification.
This section brings together some key themes emerging from the evaluation, and the
implications for Apprenticeship strategy.
It is clear that satisfaction with Apprenticeships is high. Almost nine in ten apprentices
(89%) were satisfied (gave an overall satisfaction rating of at least six out of ten) and 71%
very satisfied (at least eight out of ten). The proportion satisfied rose to 92% amongst
completers. Less than one in twenty expressed dissatisfaction, giving a score of less than
five out of ten.
The vast majority of learners benefit from high quality training as part of their
Apprenticeship. Nine in ten were satisfied with the quality of training, the way their training
provider had dealt with on-the-job assessments, and the quality of feedback received.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
A key objective of this evaluation has been to look at the extent to which investment in
Apprenticeships is having an impact on the skills and abilities of learners, and their future
prospects for successful employment and progression. Apprentices should emerge with
highly relevant vocational skills that will allow them to progress their current job and career
in their chosen sector.
Learners do generally report a strongly positive impact of their Apprenticeship on
their skills and working life. Eight out of ten apprentices believe that their Apprenticeship
has improved their ability to do their job, provided them with sector-relevant skills and
knowledge, and improved their career prospects. The benefits for the individual can be felt
immediately – high proportions of learners are reporting improvements in their skills before
even completing their Apprenticeship. This is reflected in employer reports, with the
majority saying that the business benefits of employees undertaking Apprenticeships are
realised quickly.
There is also evidence of Apprenticeships contributing to individuals making
concrete progress at work in the year after completion. One third of individuals who
had finished their Apprenticeship had received a promotion (32%), and of those in work,
three quarters reported taking on more responsibility in their job (75%). Whilst it is difficult
for individuals to untangle the contribution of the Apprenticeship and the contribution of
other factors to these positive steps, over eight in ten of those who had progressed at work
(83%) felt that the Apprenticeship had helped them to achieve this to some degree.
Learner reports suggest that some Apprenticeship frameworks provide higher quality or
more impactful training than others; for example those undertaking Construction,
Planning and Built Environment Apprenticeships were the most likely to be satisfied
overall with their Apprenticeship, were the happiest with the amount of training they had
received, and almost universally said that the Apprenticeship had improved their ability to
do their job (98% did so). The mean overall satisfaction scores were lowest for Health,
Public Services and Care, Leisure, Travel and Tourism, Information and Communication
Technology and Other Apprenticeships (primarily Apprenticeships in ‘Supporting teaching
and learning in schools’).
It is important, however, to understand that these differences between framework
groups are partly driven by the characteristics of people undertaking these
Apprenticeships, as well as intrinsic elements of the Apprenticeship itself. For instance,
the below average satisfaction ratings for Health, Public Services and Care
Apprenticeships are associated with the higher proportion of older learners in this group
(learners aged 25 plus tended to be less satisfied overall) and with the higher than
average proportion of these apprentices who were existing employees when they started
their Apprenticeship (again, on average this group were less satisfied). Young people
(aged under 19) who were recruited specifically as apprentices were the group most
satisfied with their Apprenticeship, and saw the most improvement in their skills.
Using the full range of evidence from this evaluation, it is possible to identify with
confidence particular scenarios where Apprenticeship provision is more likely to fall below
learner expectations, and/or where apprentices are less likely to report new learning and
improvements in skills. These factors cut across different frameworks and different types
of apprentice. The following represent areas that might be addressed in order to drive the
15
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
quality of learner experience even higher, and ensure maximum return on investment in
Apprenticeships.
1)
Employers requiring individuals to undertake Apprenticeships, but failing to
train, support and engage with the individual throughout their course.
Where an employer requires the individual to undertake an Apprenticeship, the individual
was less satisfied with their experience overall – it is important that learners do not feel
that they are being forced into Apprenticeships by employers. Equally, where employers
do ask existing employees to take an Apprenticeship, learner reports suggest that the
employer generally provides less support and is less involved in the structure, delivery and
content of the Apprenticeship.
This is important because where apprentices expressed dissatisfaction with the level of
employer support they were much less likely than those very satisfied to say that they had
improved skills and knowledge of benefit in their current area of work (68% vs. 88%).
Where the learner described the motivation for undertaking the Apprenticeship as ‘to get a
qualification’, they were less likely to report gaining new skills.
It would seem that there are a significant minority of cases where employers are using
Apprenticeships to certify skills that employees already possess, and that employer’s
involvement or engagement in developing the Apprentice is minimal.
2)
Short duration Apprenticeships and incidences of low training input.
The evaluation has found that learners who undertook Apprenticeships lasting less than
six months (7% of the weighted sample) are less likely to gain new skills and progress in
their career than those doing longer courses. For example, the vast majority (90%) of
apprentices with courses of longer than a year felt they had (or would) acquire skills or
knowledge of benefit within their sector, compared to about two thirds (66%) of those on
courses lasting less than 6 months.
Where learners reported receiving no formal training or informal on-the-job training from a
training provider or employer (9% of apprentices), the impact of the Apprenticeship was
significantly compromised. Only just over half (54%) believed that the Apprenticeship had
improved their ability to do their job (compared to 79% of all apprentices).
3)
Fixed-term contracts and their influence on the likelihood of sustained
employment.
The evaluation has revealed that only around half of people recruited specifically as an
apprentice were still with the same employer around 12 months after finishing their
Apprenticeship (54%). The outcomes were worse for the substantial minority of
apprentices (15%) who were recruited specifically on a fixed-term contract only lasting the
length of their Apprenticeship. Looking at the outcomes for these apprentices in the
completer group, less than half had stayed on with their Apprenticeship employer on a
renewed contract (45%), and nearly one fifth (18%) were unemployed (compared to the
overall rate of 8%).
16
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Therefore, there is room for improvement in ensuring that employers offer sustained
employment opportunities for apprentices to allow them to build on their skills.
Efforts to address some of these issues have already been set in motion, for
example it was announced in November 2011 that there would be an independent,
employer led review into Apprenticeship Standards. The National Apprenticeship Service
and the Skills Funding Agency’s comprehensive review of all short duration programmes
has already resulted in the withdrawal of inadequate sub-contracted provision and is
intended to lead to significant improvements across many Apprenticeships. Building on
this, new minimum standards for the length of Apprenticeships will come into force from
August 2012 subject to consultation with providers and employers, as a further measure to
drive up quality. For those aged 19 and over Apprenticeships will last between one to four
years unless prior learning or attainment has been recorded. Apprenticeships for 16-18
year olds will last a minimum of 12 months without exception.
Whilst this evaluation has provided support for these interventions as the right way
of maximising the impact of Apprenticeships, a key overarching message is that,
from the learner’s point of view, Apprenticeships are meeting their requirements.
Even in cases where the learner has only benefitted from six months of training, or reports
that they have not seen any direct benefits in their skills, the large majority of such learners
are still overwhelmingly positive. The high satisfaction ratings amongst those who show no
specific improvement in their skills or ability to do their job suggests that they got what they
wanted out of the Apprenticeship, specifically, a formal recognition of their existing skills. It
is important to recognise this potential disjoint in the views of learners (who see
accreditation as a positive step towards career progression) and current policies which
hold the development of new skills as the key to making Apprenticeships deliver for the
economy.
17
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 2: Introduction
This report summarises the findings of a survey of 5,000 learners conducted in late 2011
among individuals that were undertaking an Apprenticeship or had completed an
Apprenticeship in the previous 12 months.
It is one element of a wider evaluation of Apprenticeships, for which separate reports will
be produced, which includes a quantitative survey of 4,000 employers, as well as a
qualitative exercise among providers, employers and apprentices with recent involvement
in Apprenticeships.
The policy context
The Coalition Government’s strategy for skills was set out in Skills for Sustainable Growth,
and Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth (both published in late 2010). These
confirmed the government’s commitment to Apprenticeships, placing these at the ‘heart of
the system’ as the preferred vocational route for individuals and employers. A commitment
was made to increasing the number and range of Apprenticeships on offer, reshaping
Apprenticeships so that Level 3 becomes the Level to which learners and employers
aspire, and to improving their quality so that they become ‘the gold standard for workplace
training’.
As a flagship policy for Government on which large amounts of public money is spent, it is
critical to evaluate the impact of Apprenticeships to ensure the investment is producing the
best value for employer, individuals and for the economy as a whole. The National Audit
Office recently undertook a Value for Money assessment of Adult Apprenticeships, which
reported in February 2012, which used some of the initial findings from the current
evaluation study. It concluded:
“Apprenticeships for adults offer a good return for the public money spent on
them overall, according to the National Audit Office. However, the Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills could improve value for money significantly
by targeting resources on areas where the greatest economic returns can be
achieved.
The Apprenticeship Programme expanded by 140 per cent between the
2006/07 and 2010/11 academic years. Apprentices aged over 25 account for 68
per cent of this increase. Most of the increase in the programme has been in
just 10 Apprenticeship occupations. Apprentices and inspectors are generally
positive about the quality of Apprenticeships, with 91 per cent of apprentices
satisfied with their training; but the rapid expansion of the programme brings
risks that need to be managed. One concern is that in 2010/11, 19 per cent
(34,600) of Apprenticeships lasted less than six months, when most are
expected to last at least a year.”
The aims of the research programme, which involved not just this survey of apprentices
but also a large quantitative survey of employers, were to:
18
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners

Develop understanding of the Apprenticeship programme, and the value it provides
for employers, individuals and the economy, to help inform how high quality delivery
can be maintained / improved;

Explore how the programme is accessed and used by employers and individuals;

Assess the perceived impact and identify areas for improvement;

Develop a baseline for future research.
More specifically the objectives of the study were to:

Establish the additionality provided by public investment in Apprenticeships in
producing skills for the economy;

Explore the quality of Apprenticeships and how this differs by such factors as the
size of employer, framework and level;

Understand employers and individuals rationale for choosing Apprenticeships;

Explore learner experiences and satisfaction with Apprenticeships, and the benefits
and shortcomings;

Understand trainees’ progression into and through Apprenticeships.
Method
A total of 5,000 interviews were conducted for the study. These were undertaken by
telephone using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Fieldwork took place
from 10th November to 20th December 2011. All interviewing was conducted from IFF’s
telephone centre in London.
The main stage was preceded by a pilot exercise involving 35 interviews, conducted from
25th to 29th October 2011. Following this a number of refinements were made to the
questionnaire. The final questionnaire used for the study is appended.
The sample of apprentices was taken from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR), and
covered England only.
The sampling approach adopted, in terms of the targets set for the interviews to be
achieved, took account of the following factors:

The Level of the Apprenticeship (Level 2 v. Level 3)

The broad framework, divided into nine categories: Agriculture, Horticulture and
Animal Care; Business, Administration and Law; Construction, Planning and the
Built Environment; Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies; Health, Public
19
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Services and Care; Information and Communication Technology; Leisure, Travel
and Tourism; Retail and Commercial Enterprise and Other)

Whether the individual had completed or was still undertaking their Apprenticeship.
As a note, the sample of completers was taken from the ILR of those completing
marked as their Apprenticeship in the period between August 2010 to March 2011:
at the screening stage we check that they had completed ‘in the last 12 months or
so.’

Region

Age (under 19, 19-24 and 25 plus).
In discussion with BIS, the sampling approach agreed was as follows:

The interviews were distributed evenly between those undertaking an
Apprenticeship when interviewed in late 2011 (hereafter called ‘current
apprentices’) and those that had completed an Apprenticeship in the previous 12
months or so (‘completers’)

Within the target for current apprentices and for completers, targets were set on an
interlocked level by broad framework grid, on the following basis:

An initial 75 interviews allocated to each broad framework at level 2, and 50
interviews at level 3

The remaining interviews distributed in proportion to the population

These targets ‘pegged back’ where available sample was limited and meant the
initial targets would be unlikely to be met

Targets in each cell of this interlocked framework within level within completion
status matrix rounded to nearest 10

Remaining ‘spare’ interviews below the overall 5,000 target (60) distributed
evenly across smallest cells within Level 2 recent completers (6 cells increased
by 10)

A target sampling grid was also set up interlocking region with level within
completion status. Here the region targets were simply set in proportion. Hence if
5% of Level 2 completers lived in the North East, then 5% of the target number of
interviews for Level 2 completers (as described previously) were allocated to the
North East.

A target sampling grid was also set up interlocking age with level within completion
status. Here again the age targets were set in strict proportion. Hence if 35% of
Level 2 completers were aged under 19, then 35% of the target number of
interviews for Level 2 completers (as determined by the method described
previously) were allocated to those aged under 19.
20
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Towards the end of interviewing the age targets were adjusted to increase the number of
under 19s interviewed.
At the analysis stage the data was weighted to ensure that the findings were
representative of the population of current and recent Apprenticeship completers, based
on ILR data (completers data taken from the period August 2010 to March 2011). The
weighting grossed up the survey population to the total of 469,500 learners identified in the
ILR on an age within level within completion status within broad framework basis. Hence
within each framework 12 weighting cells were used (3 age bands × 2 levels × completer
vs. current).
21
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 3: The profile and
characteristics of apprentices and
their employers
The Apprentice Evaluation survey is designed to explore and measure the experiences of
apprentices and the impact that Apprenticeships have in terms of developing an
individual’s skills and career prospects. In order to give some context to the findings that
are presented throughout this report, and to facilitate understanding of the differences in
the experiences of Apprenticeships, this chapter looks at some key characteristics of the
population of apprentices across England, in particular.

the profile of apprentices by age, gender, ethnicity and social grade;

details of their Apprenticeship employer - size of organisation and industry sector;

the proportion of apprentices who were recruited specifically as an Apprentice, as
opposed to existing employees; and

the proportion of the Apprentice population engaged under different broad
framework areas.
These characteristics feature as cross-cutting variables throughout the report, in particular
as potential influences on satisfaction and impact measures.
It is important to note that the figures presented are based on weighted survey findings.
The weighting strategy used ILR data to ensure that findings were representative of the
population of apprentices by Level (just Level 2 and Level 3 were included in the survey),
whether they had completed or were currently still undertaking their Apprenticeship, broad
framework area and age (using three bands: under 19, 19 to 24 and 25 or over) – with
these factors interlocked. Hence when we discuss the age profile of apprentices or the
Level of the Apprenticeship they were studying, these are derived directly from ILR data
rather than being survey findings as such. Where we report by other variables such as
ethnicity or gender, these are derived from the survey results and have not been
‘controlled’ through the weighting process.
Demographics
Table 3.1 summarises the demographic profile of current and recent Level 2 and Level 3
apprentices by age, gender, ethnicity, disability and social grade.
The Individual Learner Record shows a relatively even split between those aged under 19
(30%), aged 19-24 (34%) and those aged 25 plus (36%). Current apprentices (those
undertaking an Apprenticeship at the time of the interview) have an older age profile than
completers. Three-fifths (61%) of current apprentices are aged under 25, compared
22
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
against almost four-fifths (79%) among recent completers. This indicates a recent upward
trend in the age of people starting Apprenticeships.
By gender, there was an even split among recent completers, but those undertaking an
Apprenticeship at the time of the study were more often female (54%) than male (46%).
Apprentices were asked about their ethnicity as part of the survey: results indicate that just
under a tenth of apprentices are non-white (9%). This suggests that the non-white ethnic
groups are somewhat underrepresented compared against the working age population as
a whole: ONS Mid-2009 Residential Population Estimates by Ethnic Group, published
2011, report that 14% of the working age population of England are non-white.
Respondents were also asked about the socio-economic status of the chief income earner
in their household. One in ten apprentices were unwilling or unable to give this information
– these learners are excluded from the analysis in Table 3.1. Where socio-economic
status could be derived, this showed that apprentices were most likely to come from C2
households (35%, C2 often described as ‘skilled working class’), followed by those in C1
or D/E households (29% and 28% respectively), without much variation between current
apprentices and completers. Only 8% come from A/B households.
It would therefore seem that apprentices are more likely to be from a lower socio-economic
background. In the population as a whole, 26% of adults are classified as A/B, 29% as C1,
21% as C2 and 23% as DE (data from NRS 2010).
Results suggest that a minority of apprentices (5%) consider themselves to have a
disability.
23
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 3.1
Demographic Summary of apprentices: Current / Completers
Overall
Current
Completers
5,000
%
2,500
%
2,500
%
Male
47
46*
50*
Female
53
54*
50*
Under 19
30
29*
36*
19 – 24
34
32*
43*
25 or over
36
39*
21*
White
91
91
92
BAME
9
9
8
Asian
4
4
3
Black
3
3
2
Chinese/Mixed/Other
2
2
3
Has a disability
5
5
5
Has no disability
95
95
95
Base: All answering
4,297
2,123
2,174
A/B
8
7
9
C1
29
29
29
C2
35
35
35
D/E
28
29
27
Base: All apprentices
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Disability
Socio-economic group
‘*’ indicates that the difference between Current and Completer figures is statistically significant at
the 95% confidence level.
Apprentices in the survey either had to be undertaking (or to have completed) a Level 2
Apprenticeship or a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. Reflecting the progression from
lower level to higher level Apprenticeships, those carrying out Level 3 Apprenticeships
tend to be slightly older, with approaching three-quarters (73%) aged 19 plus, compared to
two-thirds (67%) at Level 2. However, the proportion aged over 25 is not significantly
different. As shown in Table 3.2, Level 2 apprentices are significantly more likely to be
24
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
from a Black or Minority Ethnic (BAME) group (10%, compared to 7% of Level 3
apprentices).
Table 3.2
Demographic Summary of apprentices: Level 2 and Level 3
Apprenticeships
Overall
Level 2
Level 3
5,000
%
3,079
%
1,921
%
Male
47
46*
48*
Female
53
54*
52*
Under 19
30
33*
27*
19 – 24
34
32*
37*
25+
36
35
36
White
91
90*
93*
BAME
9
10*
7*
Asian
4
4
3
Black
3
3
3
Chinese/Mixed/Other
2
3
2
Has a disability
5
5
5
Has no disability
95
95
95
Base: All answering
4,297
2,607
1,690
A/B
8
7*
9*
C1
29
27*
32*
C2
35
34*
36*
D/E
28
32*
23*
Base: All apprentices
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
Disability
Socio-economic group
‘*’ indicates that the difference between Level 2 and Level 3 figures is statistically significant at the
95% confidence level.
25
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Apprenticeship Framework
There is a wide variety of Apprenticeship frameworks currently available, covering many
different occupational areas and skills. A key aim of the evaluation has been to explore
differences in experience, satisfaction and outcomes for apprentices engaged with
different frameworks. For the purposes of analysis, the 100 plus individual frameworks
were grouped into nine broad framework areas, and results were weighted to represent
the nine broad frameworks in their correct proportions based on ILR data. Figure 3.1
shows these nine broad framework areas (Appendix A shows a more detailed breakdown
of the constituent individual frameworks within each broad category). The ‘Other’ broad
framework comprises primarily Apprenticeships in ‘Supporting teaching and learning in
schools’.
The largest framework groups are Business, Administration and Law (26%) and Retail and
Commercial Enterprise (22%), together accounting for nearly half of all Apprenticeships.
Other large groups included Health, Public Services and Care (18%), Engineering and
Manufacturing Technologies (14%), and Construction, Planning and Built Environment
(9%).
Figure 3.1
Proportion of Apprenticeships covered by nine broad framework areas
Information &
Communication
Technology, 3%
Agriculture,
Horticulture &
Animal Care, 2%
Other
Apprenticeships, 1%
Business,
Administration &
Law, 26%
Leisure, Travel &
Tourism, 4%
Construction,
Planning & Built
Environment, 9%
Engineering &
Manufacturing
Technologies, 14%
Retail & Commercial
Enterprise, 22%
Base: All
Apprentices - 5,000
Health, Public
Services & Care, 18%
Overall just over three-fifths of current and recent apprentices are or were undertaking a
Level 2 Apprenticeship (62%) – as stated earlier survey results were weighted by Level
26
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
within Framework hence these results are not survey findings as such but merely reflect
the data within the ILR. The balance between Level 2 and Level 3 Apprenticeship
provision varies significantly by framework, as shown in Table 3.3. In Retail and
Commercial Enterprise a particularly high proportion (84%) were undertaking a Level 2
Apprenticeship (indeed 30% of all Level 2 Apprenticeships were in this broad framework
area). In contrast to this, in Construction, Planning and Built Environment (55%),
Information and Communication Technology (53%), and Health, Public Services and Care
(52%), and the ‘Other’ category (76%), a majority of Apprenticeships were at Level 3.
Table 3.3
Proportion of Apprenticeship provision at Level 2 and Level 3 by broad
framework area
Level of Apprenticeship
Row percentages shown
Base
Level 2
Level 3
All apprentices
5,000
%
62
38
Retail & Commercial Enterprise
780
%
84*
16*
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
346
%
68*
32*
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care
347
%
66
34
Business, Administration & Law
1,005
%
65*
35*
Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies
690
%
53*
47*
Health, Public Services & Care
750
%
48*
52*
Information & Communication Technology
372
%
47*
53*
Construction, Planning & Built Environment
525
%
45*
55*
Other
185
%
24*
76*
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall figure is statistically significant at the 95%
confidence level.
The ILR population data reveal differences between the nine broad framework areas in
terms of the age of apprentices. At the overall level, the Apprentice cohort splits relatively
evenly into the three key age groups under 19, 19 to 24, and 25 plus. As shown in Figure
3.2, however, at the broad framework level there is significant variation, with under 19s
making up three-fifths of all apprentices (59%) in the Construction, Planning and the Built
Environment framework group, but less than one-fifth of the apprentices focused on
Business, Administration and Law (19%), Health, Public Services and Care (18%), and
‘Other Apprenticeships’ (16%). Approaching half of the apprentices in Business,
Administration and Law and Health, Public Services and Care are aged 25 plus (each
47%) and this rises to two-thirds of apprentices in the ‘Other’ group (66%).
27
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 3.2
Age profile of apprentices by broad framework area
Framework (Base)
Under 19
All Apprentices (5,000)
19 to 24
30%
25 or over
34%
Construction, Planning & the Built
Environment (525)
36%
59%
Engineering & Manufacturing
Technologies (690)
33%
47%
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care
(347)
44%
Information & Communication
Technology (372)
43%
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
(346)
33%
20%
39%
17%
29%
36%
Retail & Commercial Enterprise
(780)
8%
28%
49%
27%
15%
34%
39%
Business, Administration & Law
(1,005)
19%
34%
47%
Health, Public Services & Care (750)
18%
35%
47%
Other Apprentices (185)
16%
18%
66%
The interactions between framework area and the age of Apprentice are of importance
when interpreting findings around the impact of these factors on learner views, as
discussed in more depth later in the report.
Employer Size and Sector
Table 3.4 shows information about the size of Apprenticeship employer organisations in
terms of the number of employees across the UK as reported by apprentices. Some
caution is needed in that while respondents were asked to answer in bands rather than
give an exact figure and just 5% were unable to give a response, it is likely that in some
cases the figure was an estimate on the Apprentice’s behalf. It is worth noting that in this
section examining the profile of their employer, we have excluded apprentices where the
ILR marker indicated that their employer’s sector was ‘Lifelong Learning‘ (i.e. a college or
provider), since it is likely that in many of these cases the Apprenticeship was operating in
effect as Programme-led Apprenticeship (which are no longer funded) where the learner
was not in employment at the start of the Apprenticeship.
Around half of apprentices are or were employed by a Small or Medium-Sized Enterprise
(SME) for their Apprenticeship, that is, an employer with fewer than 250 employees across
the whole organisation. Around two in five (41%) estimated that their employer had more
than 500 employees across the UK.
28
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 3.4
Size of employer (employees across the whole of the UK)
All apprentices in
employment
Base: All excluding those not currently employed**
4,394
Fewer than 10 employees
%
16
10 – 49 employees
20
50 – 249 employees
12
250 – 499 employees
7
500+ employees
41
Size not known
5
Summary:
Small or Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) with less than 250 employees
across whole organisation
47
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
Apprentices covered by certain frameworks are much more likely to be working for SMEs:
around three-quarters of Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care apprentices (78%) and
Construction, Planning & Built Environment apprentices (73%) are or were employed by
an SME, compared to around a third of apprentices in Leisure, Travel & Tourism and
Business, Administration & Law (both 36%).
Apprentices were also asked about the sector in which their employer operated. As can be
seen in Table 3.5, employers operated in a variety of sectors. There was some variation by
the Level of the Apprenticeship, in particular while Retail and Wholesale (including Motor
Industry) is the largest single sector (at 20%) among Level 2 Apprenticeships, it accounts
for a much smaller proportion (7%) of Level 3 Apprenticeships.
29
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 3.5
Sectors of employment during Apprenticeship
Overall
Level 2
Level 3
4,394
2,690
1,704
Health, Social Work & Childcare
%
19
%
17*
%
22*
Retail & Wholesale (inc. Motor)
15
20*
7*
Construction
11
9*
15*
Manufacturing & Transport
10
9*
11*
Education
7
5*
9*
Professional & Business Services
7
6
7
Hospitality, Hotels & Restaurants
6
7*
3*
Hair and Beauty
4
5*
3*
Arts, Entertainment, Sport & Recreation
2
2
2
Financial Services
2
2
2
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care
1
1
1
Mining & Utilities
x
x
1
Other Public Sector & Public Service
12
11
12
Other / Unknown
4
4
4
Base: All excluding those not
currently employed**
‘*’ indicates difference between Level 2 and Level 3 figures are statistically significant at the 95%
confidence level.
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are often relevant to a variety of fields and career routes, and this is
reflected in the diversity of employment sectors of apprentices within some of the broad
Apprenticeship frameworks. The greatest diversity is evident in ICT (for instance with 27%
employed by Professional & Business Services firms, 14% Education and 22% in ‘Other
public sector’), Business, Administration & Law, and in Leisure, Travel and Tourism, where
apprentices are spread across retail, hospitality, transport and public sector employers.
Entry Route
In discussing the motivations and expectations of apprentices, it is useful to understand
the route they have taken into Apprenticeships, specifically, whether they were already
working for the employer before starting their Apprenticeship. As will be seen later in the
report, entry route is associated with a number of distinctions in the views and experiences
of apprentices.
As shown in the following table, about a third of apprentices were recruited specifically as
an Apprentice, while the remainder already worked for the employer before their
Apprenticeship started. The proportion recruited specifically as apprentices is a little higher
at Level 3 (36%) than Level 2 (33%).
30
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 3.6
Apprenticeship Entry Routes – by Level
Overall
Level 2
Level 3
Base: All apprentices**
4,660
2,895
1,765
Already working for them when started
%
65
%
66*
%
63*
Recruited specifically as an apprentice
34
33*
36*
Other
1
1
1
‘*’ indicates difference between Level 2 and Level 3 figures are statistically significant at the 95%
confidence level.
** excluding those on provider-led Apprenticeships
A few apprentices (1% of the total) described a slightly alternative entry route. For
instance, some had a prior relationship with the employer through starting off on a brief
voluntary placement, and were then offered the Apprenticeship to stay on. Others moved
jobs during the Apprenticeship.
Unsurprisingly, those already employed upon starting their Apprenticeship are much older
on average than those recruited specifically as an Apprentice; over half (52%) are aged 25
plus, compared to just 5% of those entering as a new recruit.
The prevalence of different entry routes varies substantially by broad framework area, with
many framework groups being dominated by one type of recruitment or the other. In
particular, in Health, Public Services and Care, in Retail and Commercial Enterprise and in
Business, Administration and Law around three quarters of apprentices (74-78%) were
already employees at the organisation when they started their Apprenticeship. In contrast,
in Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Construction, Planning and the Built
Environment and Information and Communication Technology, a significant majority (5763%) were recruited directly as apprentices.
31
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 3.7
Apprenticeships Entry Routes - by broad framework area
Entry Route
Already an
employee
Recruited
specifically
%
65
34
179
%
79*
20*
Retail & Commercial Enterprise
770
%
78*
21*
Health, Public Services & Care
741
%
75*
22*
Business, Administration & Law
931
%
74*
25*
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care
335
%
59*
39*
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
313
%
50*
49*
Information & Communication Technology
265
%
41*
57*
Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies
642
%
37*
63*
Construction, Planning & Built Environment
484
%
38*
60*
Row percentages shown
Base**
All apprentices
4,660
Other Apprenticeships
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall ‘All Apprentice’ figure is statistically
significant at the 95% confidence level.
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
The profile of apprentices by entry route varied very little across regions, with the
exceptions being the North East (where only 56% were existing employees, compared to
65% overall) and the North West, where a significantly higher proportion of apprentices
were existing employees when starting their course (70%).
It is interesting to note that in the employer survey conducted in parallel with this survey,
two thirds (67%) of employers suggested that they only recruited people specifically for
apprenticeships, with 22% offering them just to existing staff, and 9% to both.
As highlighted in the supplementary qualitative research, part of this apparent discrepancy
may be a result of some employers using a form of trial or probationary period before the
individual starts the course. This means the individual could work for their employer for
some time before starting the Apprenticeship and while they may consider themselves to
have been specifically taken on as an Apprentice, in their employer’s eyes they could be
viewed as existing employees.
However, the discrepancy can also be explained by the fact that larger employers are
more likely to offer Apprenticeships to existing staff. Given the employer survey is site
based and that we only interviewed a relatively small number of large employers, the
‘existing staff’ entry route figure is subsequently deflated in the employer survey. By
comparison, as seen earlier, a relatively large number of individuals working for large
employers were interviewed in the learner survey (reflecting that they make up a
disproportionate number of apprentices overall) thus the proportion taken on as existing
staff on the learner side is much higher.
32
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Contractual conditions
Apprentices were asked about their contractual relationship with the employer during the
Apprenticeship. Two-thirds of apprentices (67%) reported that they were employed on a
permanent or open-ended contract. Where apprentices were employed on a fixed-term
contract, around half said that the contract was only fixed for the length of the
Apprenticeship (15% overall). In these cases, it might be expected that the learner’s
progression may be jeopardised. The impact of this on the progression of Apprenticeship
completers is explored further in section 7 of this report.
Young apprentices are much less likely than older apprentices to be employed on
permanent contracts: just under half (47%) of under 19s were employed on this basis,
compared to over four in five apprentices aged 25 plus (82%). Table 3.8 below shows
these patterns by age, and also by entry route, showing that just two fifths (44%) of new
recruits are employed on a permanent contract.
Table 3.8
Contract status for the Apprenticeship (reported by apprentices) – by
age and among those recruited specifically to an Apprenticeship
Contract Type
Fixed to
Apprenticeship length
Fixed length
- longer
Permanent
Other /
Don’t
know
%
15
12
67
5
1,672
%
31*
16*
47*
5
Age: 19 to 24
1,619
%
15
12
67
5
Age: 25 or over
1,369
%
3*
10*
82*
5
Entry route: Already an
employee
2,800
%
5*
11*
79*
5
Entry route: Recruited
specifically
1,804
%
36*
15*
44*
5
Row percentages
shown
Base**
All apprentices
4,660
Age: Under 19
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and ‘All Apprentice’ overall figure is statistically
significant at the 95% confidence level.
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
Fixed-term contracts for the duration of the Apprenticeship only are particularly prevalent
amongst apprentices in Leisure, Travel and Tourism (reported by 30% of apprentices) and
Information and Communication Technology (25%). This arrangement is much less
common in relation to Apprenticeships in Retail & Commercial Enterprise and Health,
Public Services & Care (for 10% and 12% of apprentices respectively), reflecting the
findings in Table 3.7 showing that the majority of apprentices are already employed before
they start their course. Whilst Construction, Planning & Built Environment Apprenticeships
show the highest incidence of individuals being recruited specifically as an Apprentice,
they do not feature amongst the framework areas with the highest incidence of these
short-term fixed contracts. The patterns by broad framework area are shown in Table 3.9.
33
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 3.9
Contract status for the Apprenticeship (reported by apprentices) – by
broad framework area
Contract Type
Fixed to
Apprenticeship length
Fixed length
- longer
Permanent
Other
/ Don’t
know
%
15
12
67
5
313
%
30*
12
50*
8
Information & Communication
Technology
265
%
25*
11
58*
6
Engineering & Manufacturing
Technologies
642
%
21*
16*
59*
4
Agriculture, Horticulture &
Animal Care
335
%
20*
16
61*
3
Construction, Planning & Built
Environment
484
%
20*
16*
56*
7
Other Apprenticeship
179
%
18
15
56*
10
Business, Administration &
Law
931
%
14
9*
74*
3
Health, Public Services & Care
741
%
12*
13
70*
5
Retail & Commercial
Enterprise
770
%
10*
12
70*
7
Row percentages shown
Base*
*
All apprentices
4,660
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall ‘All apprentices’ figure is statistically
significant at the 95% confidence level.
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
Apprenticeship duration
As shown in Figure 3.3, Apprenticeships vary considerably in length. The survey found
that the largest group (40%) lasted for at least 6 months but less than a year, while a small
minority (7%) lasted less than 6 months. About a quarter (25%) lasted for between a year
and two years, while the remainder (22%) were longer than this. Note that this data on
Apprenticeship length is taken from learner reports rather than the ILR.
As might be expected given their more advanced content, Level 3 Apprenticeships tend to
be longer than those at Level 2, with only a third (30%) of Level 3 Apprenticeships being
shorter than a year, nearly half (45%) being longer than 18 months.
34
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 3.3
Length of Apprenticeships: by Level
3%
8%
17%
12%
More than 3 years
14%
2 to 3 years
8%
19 mnths up to 2 years
8%
19%
1 year to 18 mnths
14%
6 mnths up to 1 year
Less than 6 mnths
17%
9%
Don't know
22%
47%
40%
27%
9%
7%
5%
6%
All Apprentices
Level 2 Apprenticeships
3%
3%
Level 3 Advanced
Apprenticeships
Base: All Apprentices (4,660)
This chart excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
The length of an Apprenticeship also varies significantly with recruitment status. While
more than two thirds (69%) of Apprenticeships for which employees are recruited
specifically last for a year or more, this falls to only just over a third (37%) where the
Apprentice is already an employee of the company concerned.
Table 3.10
Length of Apprenticeships: by entry route
Overall
Already an employee
Recruited
specifically
4,660
2,800
1,804
Less than 6 months
%
7
%
9*
%
4*
6 months – 1 year
40
47*
26*
A year or more
48
37*
69*
Don’t know
5
7*
1*
Base: All
apprentices**
‘*’ indicates difference between figures for the two entry routes are statistically significant at the
95% confidence level.
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
35
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
It is interesting to look at the course duration where apprentices are employed on different
contractual terms. As shown in Table 3.11, over half (58%) of those on a fixed-term
contract for the length of the Apprenticeship undertake an Apprenticeship lasting a year or
more, compared to 48% of apprentices overall, and 44% of those on permanent
contracts). Those on permanent contracts are more likely to undertake shorter
Apprenticeships (half are on courses lasting less than a year). This reflects the other
findings showing that existing employees are more likely to undertake short courses.
Table 3.11
Length of Apprenticeships: by contract status
All
apprentices
Fixed to
Apprenticeship
length
Fixed length longer
Permanent
Less than 6 months
4,660
%
7
886
%
5
606
%
6
2,925
%
8
6 months – 1 year
40
35*
35*
42
A year or more
48
58*
55*
44*
Don’t know
5
2
4
6
Base: All
**
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall ‘All apprentices’ figure is statistically
significant at the 95% confidence level.
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
As shown in Table 3.12, different framework groups show markedly different course
lengths. Courses shorter than six months made up a tenth or more of three of the broad
framework groups – “Retail and Commercial Enterprise”, “Information and Communication
Technology” and “Leisure, Travel and Tourism”. In addition, while few courses in
“Business, Administration and Law” lasted less than six months (8%), a large majority
(68%) lasted for less than a year, more than for any other framework group.
In “Engineering and Manufacturing Technology” and “Construction Planning and the Built
Environment”, courses tended to be longer, with about a third of apprentices in each
framework group studying courses lasting more than three years.
36
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 3.12
Length of Apprenticeships: by Framework group
Framework group
Duration of course
Less than 6
months
6 months
to 1 year
1 to 3
years
More than
3 years
%
7
40
40
8
741
%
5*
46*
42
x
Agriculture, Horticulture
& Animal Care
335
%
1*
24*
67*
7
Engineering &
Manufacturing
Technologies
642
%
5*
11*
50*
31*
Construction, Planning
& Built Environment
484
%
1*
3*
59*
35*
Information &
Communication
Technology
265
%
10
46*
40
1*
Retail & Commercial
Enterprise
770
%
11*
42
37
2*
Leisure, Travel &
Tourism
313
%
10*
50*
35*
-
Business, Administration
& Law
931
%
8
60*
28*
x
Other Apprenticeships
179
%
4
42
54*
-
Row percentages
Base**
Overall
4,660
Health, Public Services
& Care
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall figure is statistically significant at the 95%
confidence level.
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
Short courses of less than 6 months duration were more common amongst apprentices in
the North East (11%), London (11%) and the West Midlands (10%). The lowest incidence
was in the South East, where just 4% of apprentices undertook courses lasting less than
six months.
37
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 4: Motivations and the
application process
In evaluating the impact and value of Apprenticeship provision, it is important to
understand the context in which Apprenticeships are being used, and to what purpose.
This section explores the factors behind the learner’s decision to take up an
Apprenticeship, and provides insight into the role of the employer in this process. The
evaluation provides insight into the extent to which Apprenticeships are seen as a route to
career progression versus a route to simply obtain a qualification; this has been identified
in the research as a key predictor of the added value that the Apprenticeship will deliver.
This section also explores how apprentices are supported with information, advice and
guidance when considering their options, and pinpoints any difficulties faced by learners
during the application process.
Motivations for starting an Apprenticeship
We have seen that two thirds of apprentices covered by the evaluation were already
working for their Apprenticeship employer before starting their course. In these cases, it is
interesting to look at the extent to which the employer, rather than the potential learner,
was the driving force behind the decision to undertake the Apprenticeship. Apprentices
who were already in post when starting their Apprenticeship were asked whether their
employer required them to do an Apprenticeship or, at least strongly recommended that
they do so.
Only one in nine apprentices already employed (11%) reported that their employer at the
time made doing the Apprenticeship a compulsory requirement of their job role. In a further
fifth of cases, however, the employer did strongly recommend that the individual undertake
an Apprenticeship. In two thirds of cases where the individual was already employed when
considering an Apprenticeship, the decision had been very much down to the learner
themselves.
Detailed qualitative follow-up discussions carried out with some apprentices who took part
in the initial research revealed widely varied motives and experiences among those who
were already in post when starting their Apprenticeship. While some of the most
dissatisfied learners in the in-depth interviews were those who had been required to do the
course when already in employment, this depended on the context, in particular whether
they felt the training had relevance to the job; some in this situation were quite happy with
their course and its outcomes.
“My employer was approached by the provider. The organisation put several
employees forward for the NVQ level 2 as this is the minimum requirement for
those employed on a permanent basis.”
Agriculture L2, 6-12 months, aged 25+
38
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
At the opposite end of the spectrum, a more dissatisfied apprentice reported being ordered
to sign papers to start an Apprenticeship in a meeting called without prior notice.
“[The employer] said that [the course] was a legal requirement... or we could
lose our jobs, and if we didn’t complete it we would get charged [for the costs of
the course]... They called us into the office for a meeting, the assessors were
there and they signed us up straight away.”
Health L2, less than 6 months duration, under 19
Individuals undertaking Advanced Apprenticeships at Level 3 were considerably more
likely than average (at 72%) to take the decision to do the Apprenticeship themselves, with
a smaller proportion (63%) of Level 2 apprentices saying that the decision was largely their
own.
Apprentices within certain framework groups were significantly more likely to have
undertaken the Apprenticeship because their employer made it a compulsory requirement
of their role. The findings are shown in Table 4.1. The incidence of cases where existing
employees did the Apprenticeship because the employer required it is highest in the
following broad framework areas:

Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (20% vs. 11% across all framework
groups)

Health, Public Services and Care (17%)

Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care (16%).
The reverse trend was shown for apprentices in “Business, Administration and Law” and
“Information and Communication Technology”. In the latter case, no respondents at all
said that their employer had required them to take the course.
39
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 4.1
Employer influence on decision to undertake an Apprenticeship – by
broad framework area
Framework group
Employer
required
it
Employer
strongly
recommended
Decision
largely
yours
%
11
22
66
203
%
20*
32*
46*
Health, Public Services & Care
534
%
17*
27*
56*
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care
207
%
16*
29*
55*
Construction, Planning & Built Environment
197
%
13
31*
54*
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
146
%
10
19
71
Retail & Commercial Enterprise
599
%
8*
24
67
Other Apprenticeships
138
%
7
23
70
Business, Administration & Law
660
%
6*
15*
79*
Information & Communication Technology
116
%
-*
14*
86*
Row percentages
Base**
All apprentices already an employee before
starting their course
2,800
Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall figure is statistically significant at the 95%
confidence level.
** excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
During the evaluation, all apprentices were asked to indicate which of three key factors
was the most important motivation for them in undertaking an Apprenticeship. These were:

To enter into or progress in your chosen career;

Achievement of a qualification;

The opportunity to be paid whilst training.
As will be discussed at various stages in the report, where apprentices chose
‘achievement of a qualification’ over ‘to enter into or progress in your chosen career’ this
tended to be associated with lower levels of skill acquisition and benefits of the
Apprenticeship, suggesting that this may be associated with achieving a qualification that
accredits existing skills rather than developing new ones.
In total, nearly half (48%) of apprentices saw their choice to carry out an Apprenticeship as
a decision made to progress their career, while about a third (35%) were primarily seeking
to achieve a qualification. A smaller proportion (13%) were seeking an opportunity to be
paid whilst training.
Apprentice motivations varied significantly by entry route, with those already employed
before starting the Apprenticeship significantly more likely to choose achievement of a
40
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
qualification over career progression as the key motivation (40% vs. 27% of those
recruited specifically to the Apprenticeship role). These results are shown in Table 4.2.
Table 4.2
Reasons for starting an Apprenticeship: by recruitment status
Main reason for Apprenticeship
All apprentices
Already an
employee
Recruited
specifically
Base
5,000
%
2,800**
%
1,804**
%
To enter into or progress in your
chosen career
48
48
46
Achievement of a qualification
35
40*
27*
Opportunity to be paid whilst training
13
7*
25*
Other / Don’t Know
4
5
1
‘*’ indicates difference between entry route figures are statistically significant at the 95% confidence
level.
** these columns exclude those on provider-led Apprenticeships
Those recruited specifically as an Apprentice were asked about whether they only applied
for Apprenticeships in the sector they eventually worked in, or whether they applied for
Apprenticeships more widely. Overall, three in ten had applied for Apprenticeships in a
variety of fields (28%), and this was higher where the learner was at Level 2 (31%).
Younger apprentices (aged under 19) were unsurprisingly also more likely to have applied
for Apprenticeships in more than one sector (31% vs. 21% of apprentices aged 25 plus).
Alternatives to Apprenticeships
Apprentices were asked if they had considered any other alternatives to their
Apprenticeship. As might be expected, results differed substantially depending on whether
an Apprentice was recruited directly to the role or was already working for the company
when they started their Apprenticeship, reflecting the different ambitions, lifestyles and
options open to each group.
Among those recruited specifically as apprentices, just over half (50%) had considered
getting a job that did not involve an Apprenticeship. Two fifths (39%) had considered
getting a different qualification at a Further Education College, while just over a quarter
(27%) considered going to university and the same proportion (27%) considered going to
6th Form College.
Of those who were already employed when they started the Apprenticeship, nearly half
(48%) had considered remaining in the same job without doing the Apprenticeship, while
about a quarter (26%) had considered leaving employment to go to a Further Education
College. Around a third (32%) of this group had not considered any alternatives to the
course. In one fifth of these cases, this was down to the employer making the
Apprenticeship compulsory.
41
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 4.1
Alternatives considered to Apprenticeships
51%
Getting a nonApprenticeship job
15%
Staying in existing
job (without
Apprenticeship)
48%
39%
Qualification at an FE
college
26%
28%
Going to University
Going to 6th Form
College
Work-based alternatives
22%
Learning alternatives
13%
27%
*
Other
18%
Didn't consider
alternatives
32%
* Not asked of Apprentices already working for the employer
Recruited as an Apprentice
Base: Apprentices recruited
specifically for an Apprenticeship –
1,804
Already working for employer
Base: Apprentices already working
for the employer before the course –
2,800
Bases exclude those on provider-led Apprenticeships
All apprentices who said that they had considered alternatives were asked whether taking
the Apprenticeship had actually been their preferred choice.
In total, only around half (53%) of apprentices who considered alternatives said that the
Apprenticeship was their preferred choice at the time when they started the course.
However, only a very small proportion (4%) said they would rather have done something
else; just under half (43%) said they “didn’t mind”. This equates to 3% of all apprentices
who would have rather done something else. The only significant variation by broad
framework area was seen amongst those in the ‘Other Apprenticeships’ category (primarily
Apprenticeships in ‘Supporting teaching and learning in schools’), with a slightly higher
proportion who would have liked to take an alternative route (8%).
It is interesting to look at the views of learners who were working before starting the course
and whose employer then either required or strongly recommended that they undertake an
Apprenticeship. In these cases, two in five learners (43%) said that they did not consider
any alternative options at the time. Where the learners did consider alternatives (such as
going against the recommendation and staying in their job role without doing the
Apprenticeship, moving to a different role), only a very small proportion (4%) said that they
would have rather have pursued these options rather than doing the Apprenticeship (the
rest ‘didn’t mind’ or said that the Apprenticeship was their preferred choice anyway).
42
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Sources of information, advice and guidance
Apprentices were asked which of a number of sources of information, advice and guidance
they had used when deciding whether to undertake an Apprenticeship. If they had
consulted more than one source, then they were asked which was the most influential in
their decision making.
Learners used a wide range of sources of advice when considering whether to undertake
an Apprenticeship; however more than half (59%) took advice from the employer with
which they carried out the Apprenticeship, with this being the most influential source of
advice for more than two fifths.
The training provider or college providing the Apprenticeship was the second most widely
used source of advice, by just more than a third (36%) of apprentices, although it was the
most influential source of advice for only a small proportion (12%), with a larger proportion
of apprentices stating that their family and friends were more influential (14%).
Only a small minority (6%) of apprentices cited a formal careers advice service as the
most influential source of advice (including JobCentre Plus), although a larger proportion
(19%) consulted at least one of these services as a less important source of advice.
A small proportion (7%) of all apprentices stated that they did not take advice from anyone
before starting their Apprenticeship. Further analysis shows that most (80%) of these were
apprentices who were already working for the employer before the Apprenticeship. Within
this group a slight majority (58%) considered it to have been largely their decision to take
the Apprenticeship, and the remainder (42%) felt their employer had taken the decision.
43
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 4.3
Sources of advice when considering an Apprenticeship
% discussing
with / getting
information
from this
source
% considering
this the most
influential
source
5,000
%
59
5,000
%
44
% considering this
the most influential
source (as a % of all
discussing) with /
getting information
from this source)
n/a
%
74
College / Training Provider for
Apprenticeship
36
12
34
Friends or family
30
14
48
Previous School or College
(before Apprenticeship)
22
7
33
Careers Advisor, NextStep or
Connexions
19
6
33
Apprenticeships website
16
5
32
Previous Employer (before
Apprenticeship)
6
2
30
JobCentre Plus
4
1
29
Other
4
1
17
None
7
n/a
n/a
Source of advice
Base
Employer for Apprenticeship
Application channels used
Individuals who had been recruited specifically as an Apprentice were asked about the
channels they had used to apply for Apprenticeship vacancies at the time. These
apprentices were given a list of application channels, as shown in Figure 4.2 below.
Nearly half of new recruits (45%) had used more than one of these application channels
during their search for an Apprenticeship place.
In total nearly two thirds (64%) applied directly to the employer, while just over a third
(37%) applied via the college or learning provider. The official Apprenticeships Vacancies
System (on the Apprenticeships website) was the third most widely used method of
applying for an Apprenticeship, with a quarter (25%) of all specifically recruited apprentices
using this system. This exceeded the numbers using other named careers websites or
careers advice services, such as Connexions (21%) or JobCentre Plus (8%).
44
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 4.2
Methods of applying for an Apprenticeship
64%
Direct to the Employer
37%
College or other learning provider
25%
Apprenticeship Vacancies System
21%
Connexions service
17%
Online job sites
8%
JobCentre Plus
Other
3%
Base: All apprentices recruited specifically for an Apprenticeship – 2,115
Level 2 apprentices were more likely to use the Apprenticeships Vacancies System (30%,
compared to 17% of Level 3 apprentices) and more likely to have applied for
Apprenticeship vacancies with the support of Connexions (23% vs. 17% of Level 3
apprentices). Level 3 apprentices were more likely to have applied direct to the employer
(70% vs. 59% of Level 2 apprentices).
There were significant differences between different regions in the likelihood of
apprentices using different application channels. apprentices in the South East and East of
England regions are more likely to have applied direct to the employer (70% and 69%
respectively, compared to 64% of all apprentices) and less likely to have applied through a
college or training provider (29% in both cases, compared to 37% of apprentices across all
regions). The pattern was reversed in Yorkshire and the Humber, where apprentices were
more likely to apply through a college or training provider (45% had done so, compared to
the average of 37%), and less likely to approach an employer directly (56% vs. 64%). Use
of the Apprenticeship Vacancies System was highest in the West Midlands, with a third of
apprentices (34%) having used this, compared to one quarter overall (25%), and less than
one fifth of apprentices in the South West (18%) and South East (17%).
45
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Ease of applying for and securing an Apprenticeship
Those apprentices who applied for their Apprenticeship to a new employer (i.e. recruited
specifically as an Apprentice) were asked how easy or difficult they found it to apply for
and get an Apprenticeship.
Overall, a clear majority found securing their Apprenticeship quite easy (50%) or very easy
(27%), with less than a quarter finding it quite hard (18%) or very hard (5%).
Those who found the process of securing an Apprenticeship hard were asked about the
difficulties they had faced. Very few mentioned specifics of the application process (e.g.
using the Apprenticeships Vacancies system), although some did mention that the process
of applying and being assessed for Apprenticeship vacancies can be a very long process.
However, the main issues raised were about the difficulty in competing for Apprenticeship
places, including:

The challenges posed by the assessment process including aptitude tests and
interviews;

The perception that there are only a few employers offering Apprenticeships in the
target sector, and high levels of competition for places;

Having to making a lot of applications because of a lack of response or a high
rejection rate.
46
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 5: Satisfaction with the
Apprenticeship
Following success in recent years in increasing the number of Apprenticeship starts (the
NAO report on Adult Apprenticeships published in February 2012 indicated that the
Apprenticeship Programme expanded by 140 per cent between the 2006/07 and 2010/11
academic years), there has been success in increasing focus on the quality of
Apprenticeships. Again the NAO report mentioned:
‘apprentices and inspectors are generally positive about the quality of
Apprenticeships, with 91 per cent of apprentices satisfied with their training; but
the rapid expansion of the programme brings risks that need to be managed.
One concern is that in 2010/11, 19 per cent (34,600) of Apprenticeships lasted
less than six months, when most are expected to last at least a year.’
This chapter begins to look specifically at the quality issue. It focuses on learner
satisfaction with Apprenticeships overall and assesses how satisfaction differs between
different types of Apprentice.
Overall satisfaction with the Apprenticeship
Generally speaking, apprentices were very satisfied with their Apprenticeship, as shown in
Figure 5.1 below. Almost nine in ten apprentices (89%) gave an overall satisfaction rating
of six or higher, out of a possible ten. As many as three in ten apprentices (30%) gave a
satisfaction rating of ten out of ten.
Overall, apprentices who had completed their course were slightly more likely to be
satisfied (92% compared to 89%). This does not seem to be linked to completers having
had more time to realise the benefits of their Apprenticeship in the course of their work,
because, as we will see in Chapter 8, current apprentices are just as likely to report
improvements in their skills and prospects as a result of the Apprenticeship.
47
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 5.1
Satisfaction with Apprenticeships: Overall, current and completers
Very satisfied (8-10)
71%
71%
Satisfied
Satisfied (6-7)
Satisfied
74%
Satisfied
89%
89%
92%
Neither (5)
Dissatisfied (3-4)
Very dissatisfied (0-2)
18%
18%
7%
7%
3%
Mean score:
3%
2%
18%
2%
5%
2%
1%
All
Apprentices
Current
Apprentices
Completers
8.11
8.09
8.20
Base: Current Apprentices –
2,500
Base: Apprentices who have
completed their course – 2,500
Base: All Apprentices – 5,000
It is interesting to compare these findings with other measures of satisfaction collected
from apprentices. The National Learner Satisfaction (NLSS) 2009 1 asked apprentices for
their views whilst they were in learning in 2009. Apprentices were asked “How satisfied or
dissatisfied are you with your current learning experience at (provider X)?” Nine in ten
apprentices (92%) were ‘fairly’, ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ satisfied with their learning experience.
This evaluation shows a slightly lower proportion (88%) ‘satisfied’ overall with their
Apprenticeship (giving a score of at least six out of ten), although as the rating scales used
to derive the two measures are very different 2 , it is difficult to draw conclusions from this
directly, other than the findings are reasonably similar.
In the current Evaluation, only one in twenty five apprentices (4%) expressed
dissatisfaction with their Apprenticeship. When they were asked why they were dissatisfied
(on an unprompted basis), apprentices were most likely to mention:
1
BIS Research Paper Number 17. National Learner Satisfaction Survey: Adults in FE, Apprenticeships,
other LR and PCDL. February 2011.
2
The National Learner Satisfaction Survey asked learners to rate satisfaction with their learning experience
on a 7 point semantic scale of Extremely satisfied / Very satisfied / Fairly Satisfied / Neither satisfied nor
dissatisfied / Fairly dissatisfied / Very dissatisfied / Extremely dissatisfied / Don’t know.
48
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners

A lack of support from their provider/college or tutor (38% of the 202 survey
respondents who were dissatisfied);
“I feel that the way that the college is run, I have little support or contact with
the tutor. I feel I have done it all on my own.”
“In the space of 18 months I have had 5 different tutors. My work was not
monitored or marked throughout the course.”
“My initial tutor repeatedly cancelled appointments. He failed to turn up to
meetings and failed to complete all of the paper work that he was required to
do. He went on sick leave and lost all of my course work. The second tutor
found it and spent a lot of time with me repeating all the lesson observations,
which the first tutor failed to complete.”

That the Apprenticeship course or the provider was badly organised (20%), for
example:
“It was very disorganised. It was completely random what we were learning
and what we were learning wasn't relevant to what we were doing at that time.
It wasn't the Apprenticeship itself, it was the college that was disorganised. It
was ridiculous - we would turn up weekly and they'd be like ‘What are you
doing here?’”
“I had multiple tutors and each tutor that taught me re-introduced the course.
They showed me the first pages of the folder each time they came. I was given
all my work in the last 2 months before I was due to start University and then
they were trying to tell me I wouldn’t get a qualification unless I stayed extra
into the time I was meant to be going to University.”

A lack of support and training input from their employer or opportunities during the
course of the Apprenticeship (12%).
“When you are an apprentice you get paid cheaply and I wasn't receiving training.
So it was like cheap labour. I was left alone which goes against regulations and
was basically running and taking care of the gym alone without any real support or
supervision.”
“I received no support from my employer. They were supposed to give us an hour
a week minimum, and they didn't do that. We had to do it during our lunch break.”
“The training in the salon was really bad. They were more interested in me doing
secondary-cleaner jobs than actually learning to cut hair.”
49
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Differences in overall satisfaction with the Apprenticeship by the level
of the Apprenticeship
In this evaluation, overall satisfaction ratings did not vary significantly by level of
Apprenticeship. Almost identical proportions of Level 2 and Level 3 apprentices were
satisfied overall (89% and 90% respectively), with seven in ten ‘very satisfied’ in both
cases (71% and 72%). This suggests no variation in perceived quality by the level of the
Apprenticeship. (The BIS Evaluation of Level 3 provision 3 found that 93% of Advanced
Apprenticeship learners in 2009 were satisfied 4 with their Apprenticeship training, broadly
in line with these figures).
Differences in overall satisfaction by broad framework area
Satisfaction varies quite widely by broad framework area, as shown in Figure 5.2. Note
that for simplicity, the proportion of apprentices giving a satisfaction rating of 5 (classed as
neither satisfied nor dissatisfied) and those saying ‘don’t know’ are not shown. This is the
case for figures throughout this section.
3
BIS Research Paper Number 15. Evaluation of Level 3. January 2011.
4
Question asked in the Evaluation of Level 3: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are/were you with this
course/training? Extremely satisfied / Very satisfied / Fairly Satisfied / Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied /
Fairly dissatisfied / Very dissatisfied / Extremely dissatisfied / Don’t know.
50
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 5.2
Satisfaction with Apprenticeships: by broad framework group
Dissatisfied (0-4/10)
Satisfied (6-7/10)
Very Satisfied (8+/10)
Mean Score
Construction, Planning &
Built Environment Base: 525
2%
18%
Retail & Commercial
Enterprise Base: 780
3%
18%
72%
8.21
Business, Administration &
Law Base: 1,005
4%
17%
74%
8.21
Engineering &
Manufacturing Technologies
3%
18%
73%
8.17
4%
19%
77%
8.37
Base: 690
Agriculture, Horticulture &
Animal Care Base: 347
Health, Public Services &
Care Base: 750
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
Base: 346
Information &
Communication Technology
7%
5%
6%
73%
67%
17%
23%
26%
8.09
7.86
65%
7.84
60%
7.70
Base: 372
Other Apprenticeships
Base: 185
11%
55%
18%
7.34
Apprentices on Construction, Planning and the Built Environment courses were the most
satisfied, with more than three quarters (77%) very satisfied (a rating of eight or more out
of ten and the highest mean satisfaction rating - 8.37).
The overall satisfaction rating is also higher than average in the Business, Administration
and Law, the Retail and Commercial Enterprise and the Engineering and Manufacturing
Technology frameworks, with approaching three-quarters of apprentices covered by these
framework areas very satisfied (and means of 8.17 – 8.21).
Mean satisfaction scores drop significantly amongst apprentices undertaking courses in
Health, Public Services and Care (mean 7.86), Leisure, Travel and Tourism (7.84) and
Information and Communication Technology (7.70). For Information and Communication
Technology, the change in lower mean score is mostly down to a lower than average
proportion of apprentices classed as ‘very satisfied’ rather than a drop in satisfaction
overall. Apprentices in the ‘Other Apprenticeships’ framework group not covered
elsewhere were the least satisfied overall (a mean satisfaction rating of 7.34 out of 10).
The majority of apprentices in this group are undertaking an Apprenticeship in Supporting
Learning and Teaching in schools; amongst this group specifically, the mean satisfaction
score is 7.27, with more than one in nine dissatisfied overall (12%).
51
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Differences in overall satisfaction by broad framework area are influenced (but not
completely explained) by differences in the profile of individuals undertaking
Apprenticeships within each group. For example, satisfaction is influenced by age, as
described in the following section, and some framework areas have an older profile than
others (including Health, Public Services and Care, and Business, Administration and
Law).
Differences in overall satisfaction with the Apprenticeship by age
Overall satisfaction varies significantly with age, as shown in Figure 5.3. The most satisfied
apprentices are under 19, with three-quarters ‘very satisfied’ (75%) and a mean
satisfaction rating of 8.30 out of 10. The mean satisfaction ratings drop significantly for the
19 to 24 group (8.12) and the over 25s (7.95). Even amongst the oldest group, however,
satisfaction with the Apprenticeship undertaken is still very high, with the large majority
(86%) satisfied overall.
Figure 5.3
Satisfaction with Apprenticeships: by age group
Dissatisfied (0-4/10)
Satisfied (6-7/10)
Very Satisfied (8+/10)
Mean Score
All Apprentices
Base: 5,000
Aged under 19
Base: 1,902
Aged 19 – 24
Base: 1,692
Aged 25 or over
Base: 1,406
4%
18%
3%
17%
4%
5%
71%
75%
20%
71%
17%
68%
8.11
8.30
8.12
7.95
Table 5.1 shows the mean satisfaction scores for different age groups within each broad
Apprenticeship framework. Where there is a statistically significant difference between the
mean score and the overall mean score for all apprentices (8.11), the cell is shaded. The
52
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
table reveals that the pattern of satisfaction decreasing with age only holds for particular
framework groups, namely:

Health, Public Services and Care;

Leisure, Travel and Tourism;

Retail and Commercial Enterprise;

Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies;

Other Apprenticeships (although these findings should be treated with caution on
account of the small base sizes).
These age differences in overall satisfaction do contribute in part to the lower satisfaction
score seen for apprentices in the Health, Public Services and Care framework, with an
older profile of apprentices in this framework group. However, even so, older apprentices
aged 25 plus in Health, Public Services and Care are less satisfied than older apprentices
generally, as shown in Table 5.1 (mean satisfaction score of 7.72, compared to an
average of 7.95).
Another pocket of lower satisfaction is seen amongst those aged over 19 undertaking
Apprenticeships in Leisure, Travel and Tourism (mean overall satisfaction of 7.72). Again it
should be recognised, however, that the overall satisfaction scores are still in quite high in
real terms, with over eight in ten apprentices in each group giving a satisfied rating of 6 to
10 (80% and 86% respectively).
53
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 5.1
Satisfaction with Apprenticeship: by age group and broad framework
Framework group
Satisfaction with Apprenticeship for each age group
% satisfied, mean satisfaction and base size
Under 19
19-24
25 or over
Summary:
Over 19
All apprentices
%
mean
base
92%
8.30
(1,902)
90%
8.12
(1,692)
86%
7.95
(1,406)
88%
8.03
(3,098)
Health, Public Services &
Care
%
mean
base
92%
8.26
(183)
84%
7.84
(244)
80%
7.72
(323)
82%
7.77
(567)
Agriculture, Horticulture &
Animal Care
%
mean
base
94%
8.11
(128)
90%
8.03
(150)
93%
8.17
(69)
91%
8.07
(219)
Engineering & Manufacturing
Technologies
%
mean
base
93%
8.42
(442)
91%
8.09
(194)
84%
7.69
(54)
88%
7.94
(248)
Construction, Planning &
Built Environment
%
mean
base
96%
8.38
(320)
93%
8.26
(167)
91%
8.68
(38)
93%
8.34
(205)
Information &
Communication Technology
%
mean
base
87%
7.55
(188)
82%
7.69
(85)
86%
7.96
(99)
84%
7.82
(184)
Retail & Commercial
Enterprise
%
mean
base
90%
8.42
(255)
94%
8.28
(294)
87%
8.01
(231)
90%
8.14
(525)
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
%
mean
base
91%
8.04
(132)
86%
7.58
(164)
87%
8.19
(50)
86%
7.72
(214)
Business, Administration &
Law
%
mean
base
92%
8.30
(228)
92%
8.32
(354)
89%
8.10
(423)
90%
8.19
(777)
Other Apprenticeships
%
mean
base
82%
7.82
(26)
83%
7.73
(40)
69%
7.12
(119)
72%
7.25
(159)
Shading indicates that the difference between the mean score in that cell and All apprentices score
(8.11, on a base of 5,000) is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Green shading
indicates that the cell score is significantly higher, red that it is significantly lower.
Differences in overall satisfaction by other factors
There are a number of other factors which influence satisfaction with their Apprenticeship,
often cutting across different frameworks and age groups.
The entry route for the Apprenticeship (starting as an existing employee vs. as a new
recruit) does not have a significant influence on the likelihood of someone being satisfied
with their Apprenticeship. The basis on which the Apprentice is employed, however, does
have an impact, with the mean satisfaction score for those on permanent or open-ended
contracts (8.23) higher than for those on fixed term contracts, especially those on
54
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
contracts equal only to the length of their Apprenticeship (7.98). Figure 5.4 shows the
proportions of apprentices on different types of contract satisfied overall with their
Apprenticeship.
Figure 5.4 Satisfaction with Apprenticeship: by contract type, decision to do
Apprenticeship, and duration of Apprenticeship
Dissatisfied (0-4/10)
Satisfied (6-7/10)
Very Satisfied (8+/10)
Mean Score
Contract: Fixed length,
longer than Apprenticeship
4%
17%
Contract: Permanent or
open-ended Base: 2,925
4%
17%
Contract: Fixed length, same
as Apprenticeship Base: 886
5%
74%
8.23
Base: 606
Decision to do course:
Largely Apprentice Base: 1,839
Decision to do course:
Recommended by employer
3%
6%
72%
21%
67%
17%
73%
18%
67%
8.14
7.98
8.21
7.89
Base: 637
Decision to do course:
Required by employer
8%
18%
63%
7.65
Base: 309
Duration: A year or more
Base: 2,429
Duration: 6 months or more,
but less than 1 year Base: 1,729
Duration: Less than 6
months Base: 322
4%
18%
4%
17%
7%
73%
72%
18%
61%
8.23
8.16
7.53
Apprentices undertaking Leisure, Travel & Tourism and Information & Communication
Technology frameworks are most likely to have people on contracts equal to the length of
the Apprenticeship only (see Table 3.7 in Chapter 3), and where these framework and
contract type factors intersect, there are particular pockets of dissatisfaction. The mean
satisfaction score falls significantly below the average of 8.11 when looking at individuals
on these fixed-term contracts in the ICT framework (mean satisfaction 6.96 out of 10) and
Leisure, Travel & Tourism (7.47).
As shown in Figure 5.4 above, where the employer either required or recommended that
the individual undertake an Apprenticeship, learner satisfaction is significantly lower than
where the Apprentice felt that it was primarily their decision to undertake the
Apprenticeship. The mean satisfaction score is 7.65 amongst those who said that doing
the Apprenticeship was an employer requirement, significantly lower than the mean score
of 8.21 for those whose decision was made more autonomously. Similarly, those
apprentices who said that they individually would have liked to have more say over what
55
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
was covered in their training and how the Apprenticeship was delivered were less
satisfied, with a mean score dipping under seven out of ten (6.95). This was more likely to
occur when the Apprenticeship was an employer requirement, interacting particularly in the
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies framework area.
Where apprentices are undertaking very short courses of less than 6 months, they are less
satisfied on average with the Apprenticeship; four in five (80%) are satisfied, but this is
significantly lower than the nine in ten apprentices on courses lasting a year or more who
are satisfied (91%).
Apprentice perceptions of the level of pay received during their Apprenticeship also
appears to be linked to their overall satisfaction. A substantial minority of apprentices
(16%) said that they were dissatisfied with their pay level, and these individuals were on
average significantly less satisfied with their Apprenticeship overall (77% satisfied vs. 89%
across all apprentices).
There were no statistically significant variations in satisfaction rates across different
regions.
Drivers of overall satisfaction (multivariate analysis)
Multivariate analysis was conducted to look at the relative impact of various characteristics
of the individuals and the features of their employment and Apprenticeship on overall
satisfaction.
An ordered logit model was used to estimate the effect of a number of factors on the
probability of learners being satisfied or not with their Apprenticeship overall 5 . The
dependent variable here, satisfaction, is based on the responses to the survey question on
overall satisfaction, which was captured on an 11 point scale but aggregates responses
into five categories: 1) very dissatisfied (responses 0 to 2 for the original variable); 2)
dissatisfied (responses 3 to 4); 3) neither satisfied nor dissatisfied (response 5); 4)
satisfied (responses 6 to 7); and 5) very satisfied (responses 8 to 10). Table 5.2 shows the
resulting odds ratios for this model based on completers only and for both completers and
current apprentices.
The proportional odds ratios for the ordered logit are obtained by exponentiating the
ordered logit coefficients. In the case of the ordered logit model, the odds ratio compares
the odds of having a higher outcome(s) (i.e. higher levels of satisfaction) versus lower
outcomes for one group to the odds for another group. As an example, taking the odds
ratio reported for the variable female in the completers only model in Table 1 (1.21), the
odds of being very satisfied (satisfaction = 5) versus being anything less (i.e. satisfied (4),
neutral (3), dissatisfied (2) or very dissatisfied (1)) is 1.21 times higher for females than
males, all else equal. Similarly, the odds of being satisfied (4) or very satisfied (5) versus
being neutral (3), dissatisfied (2) or very dissatisfied (1), all else the same, is 1.21 times as
large for females as for males. The estimated coefficient for this variable, female, however,
5
See Appendix B for details of the logit and ordered logit models used in the multivariate analysis
56
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
was not statistically significant in either of the models reported in Table 1 and thus has
been used here simply for illustration purposes.
In the model which was estimated for all (complete and current) apprentices, a dummy
variable (completer) was included to determine whether or not the two groups differed in
terms of their overall level of satisfaction, all else equal. This dummy variable was equal to
zero for current apprentices and equal to one for completers. The estimated coefficient
was found to be positive and statistically significant indicating that, all else equal,
completers were more likely to report higher levels of satisfaction than current apprentices.
The odds ratio for the variable completer indicates that the odds of a higher level of
satisfaction were 1.22 times as high for a completer as for a current apprentice.
The results summarised in Table 5.2 show consistent findings across completers only and
the group of both completers and current apprentices, with a number of factors being
statistically significant and having the same type of effect on satisfaction levels (i.e.
negative or positive).
Individuals from BAME groups and those with a disability were found to have lower odds of
indicating higher overall satisfaction with their Apprenticeship (OR < 0.7). Confirming,
bivariate findings reported earlier, in the results for both completers and current
apprentices, older apprentices were found to have lower odds of reporting higher
satisfaction than those aged 16 to 18 years.
There were some frameworks which were found to have a statistically significant effect on
satisfaction 6 . For the sample of completers only, those whose Apprenticeships were in ICT
and ‘Other’ frameworks had lower odds of indicating higher levels of satisfaction than
those completing Apprenticeships in Health, Public Services and Care (OR = 0.53 and
0.24, respectively). When estimating the model for both completers and current
apprentices, positive and statistically significant effects were found for Retail and
Commercial Enterprise frameworks (OR=1.38) and Business Administration and Law (OR
= 1.43) whilst a negative effect was found for ‘Other’ frameworks (OR = 0.69).
Where individuals indicated that they had had a say in the content and delivery of their
Apprenticeship, they were more likely to report higher levels of overall satisfaction than
individuals who did not have a say. The duration of the Apprenticeship was also found to
have a statistically significant and positive effect on satisfaction. For the sample of
completers only, those with Apprenticeships that lasted between one and two years, had
85 per cent higher odds of reporting higher levels of satisfaction than those who had
completed programmes of less than 6 months. For both groups of apprentices, the odds of
greater satisfaction for those who had completed or were undertaking Apprenticeship that
were more than two years long were nearly twice as high as the odds for the base case.
Where individuals reported that their motivation for undertaking the Apprenticeship was
something other than ‘to enter or progress in their chosen career, the odds of them
6
It is important to note that these effects are found in relation to the reference case, which in the case of
broad sector frameworks is Health, Public Services and Care. Changing the sector used as the base case
would change the results shown in Table 5.2
57
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
reporting higher levels of satisfaction is lower than for those where this was their main
motivation. Those indicating that they participated in the Apprenticeship because it was
compulsory or because they had been requested by their employer to do so had the
lowest odds of higher satisfaction compared to the base case (OR=0.25).
All else being equal, where apprentices indicated that they had a say in the
content/delivery of their training they were much more likely to report higher levels of
satisfaction. The odds of higher levels of satisfaction were lower where apprentices had
undertaken the training because it was required by the employer. The relatively strong
impact (statistically significant in both cases) of these two factors on apprentice
satisfaction indicate that having control over both the decision to participate and what the
programme entails are particularly important drivers of overall satisfaction.
Table 5.2
Odds ratios resulting from ordered logit model of overall satisfaction
Dependent variable: satisfaction (5 categories)
Completer (1 if completed; 0 if current apprentice)
Female
BAME
Has disability
Level 3
REF: 16-18
19-24
25+
REF: Health, Public Services and Care
Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
Construction, Planning and the Built Environment
Information and Communication Technology
Retail and Commercial Enterprise
Leisure, Travel and Tourism
Business, Administration and Law
Other from sample
REF: less than 6 months
6 months to 1 year
1 to 2 years
more than 2 years
REF: existing employee
Recruited for Apprenticeship
Other/don't know
REF: permanent or open-ended contract
Fixed-term contract lasting the length of Apprenticeship
Fixed-term contract lasting longer than Apprenticeship
REF: no say in content/delivery
Yes, had say in content/delivery
REF: To enter into or progress in your chosen career
Achievement of a qualification
Opportunity to be paid whilst training
Compulsory / requested by employer
58
Completers
only
Completers and
current
apprentices
1.21
0.79
0.54*
1.15
1.22*
1.11
0.69*
0.65*
0.91
0.85
1.00
0.77*
0.75*
1.07
0.77
1.05
0.53*
0.94
1.21
1.36
0.24*
1.06
1.22
1.44
0.72
1.38*
1.25
1.43*
0.59*
1.27
1.85*
1.41
1.48*
1.28
1.99*
1.07
0.83
0.88
1.19
0.64*
0.75
0.70*
0.97
2.22*
2.08*
0.84
0.54*
0.25*
0.76*
0.54*
0.25*
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Note: REF indicates the base case or reference group for particular variables to which the other
values are compared. E.g. “REF: less than 6 months” indicates that the other duration of
apprenticeships (6 months to 1 year; 1 to 2 years, …) are compared to this as the reference group.
‘*’ indicates statistical significance at the 5% level.
Differences in overall satisfaction by impact and outcomes of the
Apprenticeship
There is evidence from the completer group that overall satisfaction with the
Apprenticeship is associated with their employment outcomes after completion of the
course. Completers who have remained with the same employer were more satisfied with
their Apprenticeship; 78% gave a ‘very satisfied’ rating (8 or more out of 10), compared to
only two-thirds of those who had moved to a different employer (66%) or who were no
longer working (65%). This indicates that continuity of employment is important in
determining Apprentice views on their course.
As will be explored in depth in Chapter 8, amongst individuals who have remained in
employment following completion of their Apprenticeship (either with the original employer
or elsewhere), it is common for individuals to report positive changes in terms of
promotions, job security and pay 7 . Overall satisfaction with the Apprenticeship is higher
where a completer:

Has received a promotion (80% very satisfied vs. 72% among those not receiving a
promotion, mean score of 8.52 out of 10 vs. 8.12);

Reports better job security (80% very satisfied vs. 64% among those not, mean
score of 8.50 vs. 7.80);

Has received a wage increase (80% very satisfied vs. 69% among those who have
seen no increase, mean score of 8.46 vs. 8.04).
Levels of dissatisfaction (that is, ratings between 0 and 4 on the ten-point satisfaction
scale) were higher than average where apprentices reported no impact of the
Apprenticeship on certain skills and abilities. Across all apprentices (current and
completers) less than one in twenty (4%) were dissatisfied, in the following groups, this
rises to one in ten where the Apprentice reports no impact on:

Their ability to do their job (10% dissatisfied) or having skills and knowledge of
benefit in their current area of work (11% dissatisfied);

Having skills and knowledge that can be used across a range of jobs and industries
(10% dissatisfied);

Their overall career prospects (10% dissatisfied).
7
Note that it is not possible from the data to fully understand the exact contribution of the Apprenticeship to
these outcomes. There are many factors which influence an individual’s progress in their career.
59
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
It is notable, however, that even where the apprentices do not believe that their training
has led to these fundamental improvements, they are still overwhelmingly positive about
the Apprenticeship. For instance, amongst apprentices who feel there has been no
beneficial impact on their career prospects, one fifth (20%) give an overall satisfaction
rating of ten out of ten.
In explaining why those reporting no impact on their skills and prospects are still satisfied
overall, it would seem that this is associated with their motivations and expectations going
into the Apprenticeship. As will be explored in more depth later on in the report, those
apprentices who said that they were doing the Apprenticeship to ‘get a qualification’ were
less likely to report impacts on their skills for their current job or on their career prospects
than those who were doing the Apprenticeship ‘to enter or progress in their chosen career’.
The high satisfaction rating for those motivated by ‘getting a qualification’ and reporting no
improvement in their skills and knowledge for their area of work (76% satisfied) suggests
that they got what they wanted out of the Apprenticeship, specifically, a formal recognition
of their existing skills.
Recommending Apprenticeships to others
The evaluation sought to measure levels of learner advocacy for Apprenticeships.
Apprentices were asked whether they had actively recommended either:

The specific framework of Apprenticeship that they themselves had undertaken e.g.
an Apprenticeship in Customer Service;

Apprenticeships more generally.
If they had not recommended Apprenticeships to anyone, they were asked if they would
recommend Apprenticeships in future. This gives a more general picture of whether
apprentices would advocate this route to others if asked.
Figure 5.5 below shows the proportion of apprentices who had actually recommended their
specific Apprenticeship or Apprenticeships in general to others. Reflecting the high levels
of satisfaction with Apprenticeships, as many as three in five had recommended this route
to others (58% for the specific Apprenticeship, 60% for Apprenticeships in general). From
the employer survey, this compares to 47% of all employers.
Apprentices in the Construction, Planning & Built Environment and Agriculture, Horticulture
and Animal Care framework groups were more likely than average to have recommended
their specific Apprenticeship to others (68% and 64% had done so respectively). This
reflects the higher than average satisfaction scores for apprentices in these framework
areas. Apprentices studying ICT Apprenticeships are also, however, more likely to have
recommended that others take the same course (66% had done so) despite the lower
levels of satisfaction with their Apprenticeships. This may be a consequence of the
relatively young age profile of apprentices in the ICT group; young learners under 19 were
much more likely to have recommended either their specific Apprenticeship (70% had
done so compared to 47% of those aged 25 plus) and Apprenticeships in general (77% vs.
45%). This reflects both higher satisfaction rates amongst young learners, but also the
60
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
likelihood that more of their peers are at a point where they are deciding which routes to
take in their training and career.
Figure 5.5 Whether apprentices have recommended their specific Apprenticeship
or Apprenticeships in general to others
Yes
58%
60%
No
42%
39%
I have recommended the specific framework I
undertook
I have recommended Apprenticeships
generally
Base: All Apprentices – 5,000
The fact that older learners are less likely to have actively recommended an
Apprenticeship to any of their peers means that the rate of recommendation is lower in the
Health, Public Services and Care, and the Business, Administration and Law groups.
Unsurprisingly, the proportion of apprentices who have actually recommended taking an
Apprenticeship in general to others is lower where the employer had made the
Apprenticeship a compulsory requirement (40% vs. 60% overall).
Of those apprentices who had not yet actively recommended Apprenticeships to others,
four-fifths (81%) said that they would advocate this if asked. This leaves just one in twenty
apprentices overall who had not and would not recommend that others take an
Apprenticeship.
61
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 6: Exploring the quality of
Apprenticeships
A key aim of the evaluation has been to pinpoint issues with the quality of Apprenticeship
provision being delivered, encompassing factors including:

The extent to which the training provider delivers a quality service in training,
assessing and supporting the Apprentice;

The extent to which the learner sees the training provided as being of high quality,
and providing highly relevant skills for their career;

The sufficiency of the volume of training received, in terms of course length and
hours per week of training received;

The support given by employers and the extent to which they are meeting
expectations in providing active learning opportunities in the workplace to help
apprentices develop.
There has been some concern expressed that these standards may have been
compromised with the recent expansion of Apprenticeships. Some commentators have
claimed the focus on quantity of Apprenticeship provision has been at the expense of
quality. Following criticisms over the way public funds are being spent on Apprenticeship
provision, in particular those of shorter duration, it was announced in December 2011 that
there would be a review into the quality and duration of all Apprenticeships schemes, and
a major select committee inquiry is under way.
As we have seen, apprentices’ own ratings of satisfaction with their training are very high,
which suggests that, in general, Apprenticeships are performing well. We have also seen
some initial evidence, however, that apprentices are less likely to be satisfied in
circumstances where the Apprenticeship only stretches over the course of six months, and
where they were made to take the Apprenticeship at the employer’s behest. We have seen
that the small proportion of apprentices dissatisfied with their Apprenticeship attribute their
dissatisfaction to a lack of support and organisation on the part of the provider, and a lack
of commitment of the employer to offer appropriate supported learning opportunities back
in the workplace.
In this section we explore these issues further, with particular reference to learner ratings
of the quality of training, provider service and employer support and involvement with the
Apprenticeship. Learner views on the amount of training received are also discussed. This
evaluation provides predominantly quantitative insight into these issues (although
apprentices were asked to provide verbatim feedback on some aspects of dissatisfaction).
A full qualitative investigation has also been undertaken which explores learner (as well as
employer and provider) views on Apprenticeship quality in more depth (although in places
in this section we again provide emerging evidence from this research to help illustrate key
findings.
62
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Apprentice views on the quality of training and service from the training
provider
Apprentices were asked how satisfied they had been with the quality of training provided
by their college or training provider during their Apprenticeship, on a scale of zero (very
dissatisfied) to ten (very satisfied). As shown in Figure 6.1, the vast majority (89%) were
satisfied (a score of at least six out of ten), with a mean score across all apprentices of
8.14.
Apprentice views are similarly positive on the extent to which the training provided skills
which they could apply in their career, with nine in ten (90%) giving a score of at least six
out of ten and three-quarters (76%) giving a score of eight or more out of ten. On the
specific measure of ‘relevance’ of Apprenticeship training to the individual’s career, results
were very similar, again with nine out of ten 89%) satisfied and approaching three-quarters
(73%) very satisfied.
The vast majority of apprentices were also happy with the way that their training provider
had dealt with on-the-job assessments (88% satisfied) and the quality of feedback that
they had received (87% satisfied).
63
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 6.1
provider
Satisfaction with the quality of training and service from the training
Dissatisfied
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
Mean Score
Overall satisfaction
4%
18%
71%
8.11
Quality of training received
from college or provider
5%
18%
71%
8.14
Skills provided which you
can apply in your career
4%
Relevance of training to
your career
5%
Way you are assessed on
the job
4%
Feedback received from
training provider
6%
76%
8.33
73%
8.30
18%
70%
8.15
19%
68%
8.03
14%
16%
Base: All Apprentices - 5,000
Only a small proportion of apprentices (5%) were dissatisfied with the quality of training
provision (defined as a score of zero to four). When these apprentices 8 were asked for the
reasons for their dissatisfaction, the main themes were:

A lack of quality teaching from the course tutor, with them being unprofessional,
disorganised or unreliable, or having knowledge and experience gaps;
“Because it was done by someone who was the same age as me – they did not
have the experience.”
“Very disorganised, not good at communication. Gave us the wrong information
about what would be in our exams and coursework.”
“They weren’t really bothered to teach – all the students felt it. The college
lacked equipment and sometimes rooms.”
8
A base of 223 learners
64
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
“The trainer that we were provided with was not very computer knowledgeable
or literate – I mean he wasn’t very good at reading. If you asked him a
question he didn’t have a clue how to respond.”

That the training was not perceived as useful or relevant for the individual’s job role
or career;
“We could’ve learned more – the stuff we learned we couldn’t really use and
can’t apply in a workplace”
“It wasn’t an Apprenticeship that covered the skills that we use in our job. We
were given ‘Aerobics to Music’ and we don’t do that in our gym.”
“Learnt more in one day at work than I did in training.”

That there was insufficient training given or that they rarely saw the tutor.
“Because I never see them – there’s basically no contact... it’s a different
person every time and I’m not happy with it.”
“Wasn’t much training – I didn’t even know who my tutor was for weeks.”
“At first it was very slow – starting off our tutors kept leaving, so we didn’t get
anything for the first four months, and now they are trying to rush us, so it’s a
bit awkward.”
Some of the dissatisfaction around perceived relevancy of the training centred on the
training not being immediately relevant to their current job and suggests in some instances
a lack of awareness of the benefits of transferable skills which could add to the
apprentice’s wider employability. This was the case with gym worker example above and
was also highlighted in some of the additional depth interviews:
“You have a portfolio... certain things within that are nothing to do with
bricklaying, but you have to do them... e.g. sheet metal”
Construction L2, 2-3 years, 19-24, overall rating 4
Some comments made by apprentices dissatisfied with the training giving them applicable
skills include:
“I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know”
“I could have done it without doing the training – it was quite simple”
“There’s no work in it, so you’re unemployed... had to go back to college”
“They don’t teach us anything – they just use us to shampoo hair”
65
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
“I am a butcher and didn’t need the retail Apprenticeship skills... [I was] made
to do it.”
Where apprentices gave low satisfaction ratings for the quality of on-the-job assessment,
sample comments included:
“I felt being assessed was irrelevant – [I’ve been] doing the job for 12 years”
“The supervisor told us to tell them if there were any problems with other
workers. I told them in confidence and came back into work the next day, and
the supervisor had told them and they confronted me”
“I wasn’t really assessed on the job, [only] at college. [If] they did assess on
the job the time would have been taken out of my pay.”
“Because we’re not assessed basically... you’re just thrown out in the field...
no-one is coming out and seeing what you’re doing on the job, even though
they should be.”
There are some key differences by broad framework area evident in ratings of the quality
of training provision, with higher than average satisfaction with provision delivered under
the following framework areas:

Retail & Commercial Enterprise (mean score of 8.30 vs. 8.14 overall);

Business, Administration & Law (mean score of 8.28).
As with overall satisfaction, satisfaction with the quality of training was below average for
the following framework areas:

Health, Public Services and Care (mean score of 7.94 vs. 8.14 overall);

Information & Communication Technology (mean score of 7.83);

Other Apprenticeships (mainly ‘Supporting teaching and learning in schools’) (mean
score of 7.23).
Table 6.1 shows the mean satisfaction scores for the quality and skill development
measures, illustrating these findings. This shows that whilst apprentices covered by Retail
& Commercial Enterprise and Business, Administration & Law framework groupings were
the most satisfied with the quality of training received, they are less satisfied with the skills
that it has given them that they can apply in their job, and their score falls below the
average on this measure. The highest mean scores for provision of applicable skills were
evident for Apprenticeships covered by Construction, Planning & Built Environment,
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care, and also the Health, Public Services & Care
framework groupings (who are significantly less satisfied with the actual quality of
provision).
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
By comparison, employers offering Construction, Planning & Built Environment
Apprenticeships were among the least satisfied across a number of specific measures
relating to training quality. They were particularly dissatisfied with the ability to influence
the Apprenticeship training while a number of employers also complained that the content
of training was out of date or that it was it being delivered by individuals unaware of latest
methods. To some extent this may be related to the fact that employers have a relatively
long history of offering Construction, Planning & Built Environment Apprenticeships and,
reflecting this experience, are therefore more likely to want to have a say in how the
Apprenticeship is delivered. This history of involvement with Apprenticeships may have
also raised expectation levels for the quality of training that is being delivered by external
providers. Construction employers now receive less in terms of grants (though still have to
pay the CITB-ConstructionSkills levy above a certain size), and are therefore perhaps
increasingly expecting better quality training for their money.
This apparent disjuncture between employer and learner views can also, in part, be
explained by the comparatively young profile of learners undertaking such
Apprenticeships. For many of these learners, the majority of whom will have been
recruited specifically as apprentices, there will have been a significant ‘distance travelled’
in terms of the skills and abilities held at the start of their Apprenticeship compared to
those gained by the end of the Apprenticeship. This significant accumulation of skills is
reflected in the broadly positive findings reported throughout the learner evaluation in
terms of those individuals undertaking Construction, Planning & Built Environment
Apprenticeships.
Table 6.1
Mean satisfaction scores for the quality of training and provision of
skills – by broad Framework area
Framework group
Mean satisfaction score (out of ten)
Quality of
training
Skills provided
which you can
apply in your career
Base: All apprentices
5,00
0
8.14
8.33
Retail & Commercial Enterprise
780
8.30
8.01
Construction, Planning & Built Environment
525
8.29
8.97
Business, Administration & Law
1,00
5
8.28
8.18
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care
347
8.12
8.84
Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies
690
7.99
8.41
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
346
7.95
8.27
Health, Public Services & Care
750
7.94
8.59
Information & Communication Technology
372
7.83
7.94
Other Apprenticeship
185
7.23
8.12
Shading indicates that the difference between the mean score in that cell and All Apprentice score is
statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Green shading indicates that the cell score is
significantly higher, red that it is significantly lower.
67
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
There is a relationship between apprentice’s initial motivations for undertaking an
Apprenticeship, as discussed earlier in Chapter 4, and their satisfaction with the skills it
has provided them to apply in their careers. Four fifths of those undertaking an
Apprenticeship in order to enter or progress their career (80%), were very satisfied with the
skills it has provided them (8.58 mean score), compared to 71% of those doing an
Apprenticeship in order to achieve a qualification (8.11 mean score). As we’ll see in the
next chapter which focuses more explicitly on the impacts of Apprenticeships, the former
group are more likely to report that they have developed their skills and abilities as a result
of their Apprenticeship.
The relationship described in the previous chapter between course duration and overall
satisfaction also holds for satisfaction with the provision of applicable skills. Four fifths of
those undertaking Apprenticeships lasting a year or more (81%) are very satisfied with this
aspect (8.64 mean score) compared to 73% those taking courses of between 6 months
and a year, and 62% of those undertaking very short course of less than 6 months.
However, there is no such relationship between duration of course and perceived quality of
provision. Indeed, those Apprenticeships lasting between 6 months and a year were most
likely to be satisfied with the quality of training (75% very satisfied and a mean score of
8.27, compared to 68% very satisfied and a mean score of 8.10 amongst those on longer
courses and 66% very satisfied and a mean score of 7.97 amongst those on shorter
courses). A similar pattern is evident in terms of satisfaction with the feedback provided
and on-the-job assessment.
Involving learners in the design of their Apprenticeship
Apprentices were asked whether they had had any say in what was covered as part of
their Apprenticeship or how it would be delivered. Around half of apprentices (52%) felt
that they had had some influence on the shape of their Apprenticeship. All apprentices
were also then asked whether they would have liked to have more influence. As shown in
Figure 6.2, around one third of those who had not had input into the coverage and delivery
of the Apprenticeship would have liked to have done so, while the vast majority of those
who had an input were satisfied with the extent of their influence (only 12% wanted more).
Taken together, 22% of all apprentices would have liked to have had more influence on
the coverage and delivery of the Apprenticeship.
68
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 6.2 Apprentice influence on the coverage and delivery of the
Apprenticeship and whether they would have liked more influence
Did you have any say in what was covered as part of your
Apprenticeship training or how it was delivered?
Would you have liked more say?
Yes
12%
52%
Yes
No
Don't know
Yes
34%
46%
1%
Base: All Apprentices – 5,000
The prevalence of learner input into the Apprenticeship is only slightly higher amongst
those already employed when starting their Apprenticeship than amongst those recruited
specifically as an Apprentice (48% vs. 54%). Where the employer made it a compulsory
requirement for existing employees to undertake an Apprenticeship, only two-fifths had a
say in coverage and delivery (41%).
Apprentices undertaking frameworks within the Business, Administration & Law grouping
were much more likely to have had the opportunity to influence their training; two-thirds
reported that they had had a say (65%, compared to the average of 52% across all
framework groups). This was mainly driven by Business Administration Apprenticeships
(76% of these apprentices had had an influence). These apprentices are on average older
and more experienced, which may explain their desire to take more ownership of their
training.
Apprentices covered by the Leisure, Travel and Tourism, Engineering & Manufacturing
Technologies, or Information & Communication Technology framework are the most likely
to want more influence (27%, 30% and 31% respectively).
69
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Views on the volume, balance and duration of training received as part
of the Apprenticeship
A number of measures were taken to find out how apprentices feel about the amount of
training they receive as part of their Apprenticeship:

Satisfaction with the ‘amount of training received each week’.

Satisfaction with ‘the balance the Apprenticeship provides between training and
work’;

Views on the duration of the Apprenticeship;
The evaluation also collected headline data on receipt of different forms of training as part
of the Apprenticeship, namely training received at a college or external training provider
facility and both formal and informal training sessions in the workplace (either delivered by
the employer or a training provider). More in depth exploration of the precise nature and
content of the training that is being delivered as part of Apprenticeships, as well as learner
views on this provision, is being undertaken through supplementary qualitative research.
Figure 6.3 below shows that a large majority of Apprenticeships (76%) involved some
formal training, either taking place at the workplace or on the premises of a learning
provider, with most of the remainder (15%) receiving some informal on-the-job training (but
no formal training). A minority (9%) did not report receiving either of these forms of training
although the majority of these did say that they had filled in their Apprenticeship portfolio
during work or studied in their own time.
The proportion not receiving either formal or informal on the job training varies by entry
route. Amongst those already working for the employer it was 12% compared to just 4%
amongst those recruited specifically as an apprentice.
70
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Types of training received 9
Figure 6.3
Formal training
67%
76%
Informal on-job training (and
no formal training)
70%
77%
87%
88%
Filled in a portfolio, but none of
the above
Studied in own time, but none
of the above
Reported none of the above
19%
15%
16%
Overall
8%
9%
5%
3%
18%
1%
1%
2%
1%
Under 19
5%
2% 1%
19-24
5%
7%
1%
25 or over
9%
4%
2%
1%
Already an
employee
Recruited
specifically
1%
There is also a link between the incidence of apprentices reporting no formal or on-the-job
training and the duration of the Apprenticeship. Two thirds (67%) of those apprentices who
reported receiving no training undertook Apprenticeships lasting less than one year.
Looking at this another way shows that one fifth (21%) of apprentices who engaged with
short Apprenticeships of less than six months duration received no formal or informal
training from a training provider or their employer.
At 9%, the proportion of all learners reporting that they had received no training as part of
their Apprenticeship is higher than the 2% of employers who report not providing any
training to their apprentices. This discrepancy is likely, at least in part, to be explained by a
differing perception as to what qualifies as training, in particular around on-the-job training.
9
It is worth noting that in this section examining the profile of training undertaken, we have excluded
apprentices where the ILR marker indicated that their employer’s sector was ‘Lifelong Learning‘ (i.e. a
college or provider), since it is likely that in many of these cases the Apprenticeship was operating in effect
as Programme-led Apprenticeship (which are no longer funded) where the learner was based full-time with
the provider, and would therefore have an a-typical pattern of engagement with different types of training.
71
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
However, the figure from the learner evaluation is considerably lower than the 20% that
the recent Pay Survey 10 reports for the proportion of apprentices who hadn’t received
either on or off-the-job training. Some care should be taken when comparing the two
figures, as the Pay Survey interviewed a slightly different cohort of apprentices (those
known to be on an Apprenticeship 2-3 months prior to fieldwork in June/July 2011) and
focused on the largest 11 specific frameworks rather than a cross section of all framework
types. However, as the two cohorts are nevertheless fairly similar and because data from
both surveys were weighted to mirror the population of apprentices, it is unlikely that these
differences in sampling could have caused all the difference in the training figures.
More likely is a slightly differing interpretation of the training questions asked in each
survey. Whereas this survey separated out “off-the-job” training into off-site provision and
formal training sessions in the workplace (and explicitly made clear that the latter could be
delivered by either a provider or an employer), the Pay survey asked a single question
about “off-the-job training” which did not include an explicit reference that this might be
delivered by the employer. Recent research that has been conducted by IFF Research for
UKCES has shown there to be a number of difficulties and issues surrounding the use of
terms such as on- and off-the-job (for example off-the-job being interpreted as training
delivered by an external provider) and it may be that this is contributing to the different
reported training participation rates 11 .
Additional in-depth interviews carried out with learners explored in more depth occasions
where no training had been provided or where the role of the training provider was minimal
and limited to occasional assessment sessions in the workplace. While some were critical
of this, apprentices who were existing employees and saw the course as a way of
certifying existing skills were often content with receiving no training, as long as they
received a qualification for their CV.
“I don’t think the employer had to help me because I was doing it anyway... I
just looked at it as a qualification to gain to give me more experience.”
Health L3, under 6 months, 25+, overall satisfaction rating 10
“For me it was just about getting the piece of paper to say I was Level 3 rather
than going in there to train”
Retail L3, 6-12 mths, 19-24, overall rating 6
Dissatisfaction with no or limited training was much more likely where the Apprentice
expected or wanted to learn new skills:
“We were just told to go and buy this £20 book which was our “bible”, work
through it and do certain units, and then you chose which units to do to make up
the score.”
10
Apprenticeship Pay Survey 2011, BIS Research Paper Number 84, March 2012
11
See Defining and Measuring Training Activity, UKCES Evidence Report 29, July 2011
72
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
L3, 12-18 months, aged 25+, overall satisfaction rating 0
Finally, there was some evidence from the qualitative phase that a few employers had set
up their own nominally independent ‘training providers’ in order to recruit apprentices,
providing the minimal training necessary to be useful to the employer in the short term, but
providing no employment opportunities on completion:
“I don’t value it at all. For me it was just litter picking for £2.50 an hour.
Something like that can’t be called an Apprenticeship. I went in [thinking] there
would be a job at the end of it...”
Retail L2, under 6 months, 19-24, overall satisfaction rating 0
Some groups received more formal training than others; among those aged 25 or over,
only two thirds (67%) stated that they received formal training, compared to a much larger
proportion (87%) of under 19s. There was a similarly strong correlation with entry route,
with a considerably lower level of formal training (70% compared to 88%) among
apprentices recruited from an employer’s existing workforce as opposed to recruited
specifically as an Apprentice.
As shown in Figure 6.4, a slight minority of learners (44%) had gone to an external
provider off site to receive formal training while over half (57%) had received formal
training sessions in the workplace, delivered by either their employer or a provider.
External training typically involves a day or half day away from the workplace 12 while on
site formal training is typically a few hours a week.
Three quarters of apprentices received on the job training at their workplace from either
employer or training provider. Again typically this involved a few hours a week although a
sizable proportion of learners claimed that, by nature of it being an Apprenticeship, all of
their work is effectively on-the-job training, hence the relatively large proportion who
reported at least 25 hours of on-the-job training.
12
Exploratory call-backs ascertained that the majority of those who claimed to have undertaken at least 25
hours of external training a week were studying full-time at a provider for a block of time (e.g. for 1 month in
the year, 1 week out of every 6, or for several 8 week blocks over the course of a year), and gave the hours
spent training in these weeks rather than an ‘averaged-out’ number of hours over the course of the
Apprenticeship.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 6.4
Type and amount of training received
4%
4%
3%
7%
20%
14%
1%
2%
5%
1%
3%
12%
7%
35%
10%
50%
13%
Over 25 hrs
2%
2%
57%
5%
35%
6 to 10 hrs
1 to 5 hrs
6%
Less than 1 hour
Engaged but can't remember hours
7%
4%
56%
11 to 25 hrs
Not engaged with this activity
4%
6%
3%
3%
43%
31%
24%
Going to college /
external training
provider to receive
training
Formal training
sessions in the
workplace
(delivered by
employer or
provider)
On-the-job training
at workplace
(delivered by
employer or
provider)
21%
Filling in
Apprenticeship
portfolio during
work
Work or learning
towards
Apprenticeship in
own time
Base: All Apprentices (4,660)
Two thirds of apprentices (69%) have also spent time filling in their Apprenticeship portfolio
while at work while four fifths (79%) have done work or learning towards their
Apprenticeship in their own time. Again, typically for both aspects this is for a few hours a
week.
Four fifths of learners (79%) were satisfied with the amount of training that they were
provided with and a similar proportion (83%) with the balance that the Apprenticeship
provides between training and work (mean scores of 7.50 and 7.76 respectively).
However, it is worth noting that, while the majority of apprentices are content, compared to
overall satisfaction and a number of other specific aspects of the Apprenticeship such as
quality of training, feedback, assessment and skills acquisition, satisfaction is slightly lower
for these two elements.
Where apprentices are dissatisfied with the balance that the Apprenticeship provides
between training and work this is generally because of a lack of formal training rather than
not enough time spent working.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 6.5
work
Satisfaction with amount of training and balance between training and
Base: All Apprentices - 5,000
Dissatisfied (0-4/10)
Satisfied (6-7/10)
Very Satisfied (8+/10)
Mean
Score
Balance between
training and work
Amount of training
provided each week
5%
9%
21%
23%
62%
7.76
57%
7.50
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied ratings (5/10) not shown (11% balance, 10% amount)
Table 6.2 shows the mean satisfaction scores by framework grouping for these two
aspects. Apprentices covered by the Construction, Planning & Built Environment and
Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies framework groupings were most satisfied with
both the amount of training and how this balances with work.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 6.2
Mean satisfaction scores for the quality of training and provision of
skills – by broad Framework area
Framework group
Mean satisfaction score (out of ten)
Amount of
training
Balance between
training and
work
All apprentices
5,000
7.50
7.76
Construction, Planning & Built Environment
525
8.17
8.29
Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies
690
7.79
7.89
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care
347
7.71
7.81
Information & Communication Technology
372
7.54
7.34
Business, Administration & Law
1,005
7.50
7.84
Retail & Commercial Enterprise
780
7.45
7.69
Health, Public Services & Care
750
7.14
7.57
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
346
7.01
7.27
Other Apprenticeship frameworks
185
6.61
7.07
Shading indicates that the difference between the mean score in that cell and All Apprentice score is
statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Green shading indicates that the cell score is
significantly higher, red that it is significantly lower.
In terms of views on duration, the vast majority of apprentices (83%) said that the length of
the Apprenticeship was ‘just about right’. Of the remainder, more felt that the
Apprenticeship course was too long (13%) than thought it was too short (4%). Even in
cases where the Apprenticeship undertaken was of less than six months duration, only
one in ten felt that this was too short (11%). As we have seen, however, there is evidence
that if the course had been longer, the Apprenticeships may have gained more benefits.
Those undertaking such short courses are less satisfied with the extent to which the
Apprenticeship has equipped them with skills that they can apply in their career. This is
borne out by the lower incidence of reported skill development and positive career
outcomes amongst those on courses lasting six months or less (see Chapter 7 for further
discussion on this).
In-depth interviews carried out with some respondents from the initial research showed
that reasons for dissatisfaction with the length of Apprenticeships were often complex, and
often related to what they hoped to get out of their Apprenticeship, and their starting level
of experience. For example, an Apprentice taking a Level 3 Apprenticeship to certify
existing skills felt her course took too long and it could have taken 3 months or less.
Another felt that the course could have been done in a year since it was too basic;
however this could be taken more as a criticism of the course content than the length.
“It lasted two years – I’d say too long. I just think it could have been done in a
year.”
Construction L2, 12-18 months, 19-24, overall satisfaction rating 2
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Those who felt their course was too short tended to have less prior experience and wanted
more practical training:
“I was just starting to get used to meeting people and doing the job properly... it
could [have been] at least another month. We could have done more practical
work...”
Retail L2, under 6 months, under 19, overall rating satisfaction 6
Employer input and support
A key area of policy interest is the extent to which employers are involved with
Apprenticeships. Are they providing sufficient support and how involved are they in the
design, content and delivery of Apprenticeships?
In order to understand Apprentice perceptions of their employer’s role in the
Apprenticeship, all apprentices were asked to rate their satisfaction with:

‘The support that your employer has provided you with throughout the
Apprenticeship’;

‘The extent to which your employer is involved in the structure, delivery and content
of the Apprenticeship’.
Figure 6.7 shows the proportion of apprentices satisfied and dissatisfied with these
elements, overall, and then split by entry route. This shows that apprentices are in general
happy with the role that their employer is playing in supporting their Apprenticeship; twothirds (65%) of apprentices gave a satisfaction rating of eight or more out of ten, giving a
mean score of 7.81. Satisfaction with employer involvement in the structure, delivery and
content of the Apprenticeship was lower on average, with a mean satisfaction rating of
7.26, and the proportion very satisfied dropping to around a half (53%). This is broadly
similar to employers’ own views of their ability to influence the delivery and content of
training during Apprenticeships as reported in the parallel employer report (very satisfied
45% and a mean of 6.9).
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 6.7
Satisfaction with employer support and involvement – by entry route
Dissatisfied (0-4/10)
Satisfied (6-7/10)
Very Satisfied (8+/10)
Mean Score
Employer support:
All Apprentices
9%
17%
65%
7.81
Base: 5,000
Employer support:
Recruited specifically
7%
16%
69%
8.08
Base: 1,804
Employer support:
Already an employee
11%
17%
62%
7.63
53%
7.26
Base: 2,800
Employer involvement:
All Apprentices
10%
22%
Base: 5,000
Employer involvement:
Recruited specifically
8%
24%
56%
7.54
Base: 1,804
Employer involvement:
Already an employee
12%
21%
50%
7.08
Base: 2,800
The in-depth interviews with learners showed a mixed picture of employer involvement;
some employers were very involved in the training process, generally something which
attracted positive comment from apprentices, while others complained that their employers
were not at all interested.
“All they [the employer] had to do was sign off the sheets – they didn’t monitor
our progress. They didn’t ask any questions.”
Health L3, 19-24 mths, 19-24, overall rating 7
As a result, a number of those followed up in the qualitative research worked on the
Apprenticeship exclusively in their spare time, whether this consisted of time with a training
provider or studying on their own:
“We didn’t get any [training from the employer] really. The learning is one to one
with the lady who comes out to see us... We’re all full time, so it depends when
we can actually see her, but it is about once a month. She sends us the things
we need to do by email... I think that way of doing it is fine... I’ve got young
children, so... I haven’t got the time.”
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Business L2, length unknown, 25+, overall rating 2
“The Apprenticeship was completely separate to work and I did it in my own
time.”
Retail L3, 6-12 mths, 25+, overall rating 8
Looking at the mean satisfaction ratings for these two measures of quality, it appears that
apprentices are in general slightly less happy with their employer than they are with their
training provider. However, there are somewhat higher levels of perhaps ambivalent
responses of five out of ten, especially for employer involvement in the Apprenticeship
(13%) which contributes to this difference, and might indicate that apprentices may be
unsure about what the ideal employer role should be or that they do not view this as
particularly important. There are also, however, higher levels of ‘active’ dissatisfaction
when talking about the role of the employer, as compared to aspects of the provider’s
service such as the quality of feedback on progress received. One in ten gave a score of
zero to four for satisfaction with employer support (9%) and employer involvement (10%).
As shown in Figure 6.7, the data suggests that where the Apprentice is an existing
employee, the employer generally provides less support and is less involved in the
structure, delivery and content of the Apprenticeship.
Where the employer required the learner to undertake an Apprenticeship (as opposed to
the decision being down to the learner) there is more dissatisfaction with employer support
(16% dissatisfied and a mean score of 7.13 compared to 10% dissatisfied and mean score
of 7.66). This suggests a small group of learners for whom the employer may only be
interested in the individual gaining a qualification.
Where learners reported receiving no formal training or informal on-the-job training as part
of their Apprenticeship, they were much more likely to be dissatisfied with the level of
support from their employer (19% were dissatisfied, compared to 9% of all apprentices).
Indeed, they are less likely to be satisfied overall with their Apprenticeship – three quarters
(77%) are satisfied, compared to nine in ten apprentices overall.
Table 6.3 shows the mean satisfaction scores by framework grouping for these two
aspects. Apprentices covered by the following broad framework groupings were more
satisfied on average for both employer support and employer involvement (and thus are
shaded green in Table 6.3):

Construction, Planning & Built Environment

Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care

Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies
Apprentices covered by the Leisure, Travel and Tourism framework group were the least
satisfied with the extent of employer support, although the difference between the mean
satisfaction score for this group and the overall average was small in real terms (7.52 vs.
7.81 out of ten). apprentices in the Information & Communication Technology and Other
Apprenticeship framework groups had the lowest mean score for satisfaction with
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
employer involvement in the Apprenticeship (7.04 and 6.58 respectively, compared to a
mean across all frameworks of 7.26).
Table 6.3
Mean satisfaction scores for employer support and involvement in
structure, delivery and content of the Apprenticeship – by broad Framework area
Framework group
Employer support
Employer
involvement
Base: All apprentices
5,000
7.81
7.26
Construction, Planning & Built Environment
525
8.24
7.71
Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care
347
8.13
7.67
Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies
690
8.01
7.50
Information & Communication Technology
372
7.90
7.04
Business, Administration & Law
1,005
7.79
7.13
Retail & Commercial Enterprise
780
7.72
7.19
Health, Public Services & Care
750
7.59
7.18
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
346
7.52
7.20
Other Apprenticeships
185
7.70
6.58
Shading indicates that the difference between the mean score in that cell and All Apprentice score is
statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Green shading indicates that the cell score is
significantly higher, red that it is significantly lower.
Additional support needs
Apprentices were asked if they would have liked additional information, advice or guidance
regarding their Apprenticeship. In total, a majority (70%) felt that they needed no additional
advice.
Among those who stated that they needed information, advice or guidance, there were a
wide variety of requirements. The most widely cited included “More communication /
support” (17% of those requiring any form of information, advice or guidance), “Clearer /
more information before Apprenticeship” (15%), “What to do afterwards” (10%) and “More
time / better timeframe” (6%). All other requests for additional information, advice or
guidance were made by fewer than 5% of those apprentices requiring additional advice.
Importance of specific elements for learners
By considering the correlations between overall satisfaction with the Apprenticeship and
satisfaction with specific elements of the Apprenticeship, we can start to suggest which
aspects of the Apprenticeship are important to apprentices in determining their overall
satisfaction with the course.
For example, if most individual apprentices responding to the survey give similar levels of
satisfaction for quality of training as they do for satisfaction with the Apprenticeship overall,
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
this would indicate that there is a link between these responses. The strength of this link
gives an indication of which factors apprentices consider more or less important overall.
The correlations calculated suggest that the quality of training received as part of the
Apprenticeship is the most important factor in deciding overall satisfaction levels
(correlation of 0.65). Most other individual elements of the Apprenticeship, those relating to
assessment, feedback, training quantity and skills, have satisfaction levels with slightly
less correlation with overall satisfaction than this (between 0.57 and 0.59).
It is notable that all the factors with the least correlation with overall satisfaction (level of
pay at 0.29, support given by employer at 0.44, extent of employer involvement at 0.48) all
relate to the employer. It is possible that, when apprentices are asked about their overall
satisfaction with the Apprenticeship, they are considering primarily the course content and
the actions of the training provider, rather than the actions of their employer and decisions
on their level of pay.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 7: The impact of
Apprenticeships
A key objective of this evaluation is to look at the extent to which investment in
Apprenticeships is having an impact on the skills and abilities of learners, and their future
prospects for successful employment and progression. Apprentices should emerge with
highly relevant vocational skills that will allow them to secure sustained employment and
progress their career in their chosen sector.
In assessing the value of Apprenticeships, a key issue is the extent to which
Apprenticeships are delivering additional new or improved skills, rather than simply funding
qualifications which certify existing skills and abilities. Within the findings already
discussed, there have been suggestions of circumstances where such training may be
occurring, associated with instances where Apprenticeships are being undertaken in order
for already experienced employees to ‘get a qualification’, and where individuals are
achieving Apprenticeships through short courses. Both factors are linked to lower levels of
satisfaction with the Apprenticeship provision.
Whilst we have seen that satisfaction with the quality of provision is generally very high
amongst apprentices, the evaluation allows us to go further and investigate the impact
they feel that the Apprenticeship has had in terms of:

Delivering relevant vocational skills and having a direct impact on their ability to
their job;

Boosting their basic skills in Numeracy, Literacy and IT, and improving their ability
to work in a team;

Improving their career prospects and earning potential.
This chapter also provides evidence of the extent to which any improvements in skills
reported by apprentices have translated into concrete outcomes in terms of sustained
employment and job security, promotions, and higher earnings. Progression to further
learning is also examined.
Impact on skills and abilities
Former and current apprentices were asked to describe the impact they believe their
Apprenticeship has had (or is having) on their abilities and skills. Generally apprentices
(both current and completers) viewed their course as having a strongly positive impact in
these areas.
Figure 7.1 shows that Apprenticeships are perceived by most apprentices as having
improved their employment-specific skills and abilities, both those which were specific to
their chosen career and those which were transferable between careers. In total, a clear
majority of apprentices (79%) believed that the Apprenticeship had improved their ability to
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
do their job, and an even larger proportion (84%) believed that it had provided them with
skills or knowledge of benefit within their current or desired area of work. Four-fifths (81%)
believed that undertaking the Apprenticeship had improved their overall career prospects.
Figure 7.1
Impact of Apprenticeship on skills and abilities
Improved a lot
57%
50%
57%
58%
48%
25%
24%
22%
Improved a little
27%
31%
25%
21%
25%
28%
27%
25%
Base: All Apprentices - 5,000
Four-fifths of apprentices (82%) believed that the Apprenticeship had provided them with
skills of benefit across sectors, while three quarters (74%) believed it had improved their
teamwork, communication and/or social skills.
Opinion was more divided among apprentices as to whether the course had improved their
basic skills; while just over half (53%) of apprentices believed that the course had
improved their numeracy, and similar proportions that it had improved their literacy (51%)
and IT skills (47%), these levels were below those reported above for other benefits of the
Apprenticeship. This pattern was relatively consistent across different types of Apprentice,
including new recruits aged under 19, suggesting that many people felt that they already
had these skills at the start of the Apprenticeship.
Only a small minority of apprentices (4%) reported no improvement across any of these
skill areas as a result of the Apprenticeship. The vast majority of these had been working
for the employer before they started the Apprenticeship and were aged over 19.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
It is interesting to note that people still undertaking their Apprenticeship at the time of
survey were as likely to report improvements in these skills as those who had completed
and already well into their post-Apprenticeship working life. For instance, an equal
proportion of current apprentices and completers felt that:

their ability to do their job had ‘improved a lot’ (58% for both groups); and

they had improved their skills and knowledge in areas that would benefit them in
their chosen area of work (84% in each case).
The high proportion of apprentices reporting these improvements before even completing
the Apprenticeship can be seen as a positive sign, with apprentices seemingly being able
to realise the benefits immediately in their work. This is reinforced by findings from the
parallel employer survey which showed a vast majority (91%) of employers who felt that
the benefits of offering and training apprentices were realised while the apprentices were
still undergoing their training.
The impact of Level 2 and Level 3 Apprenticeships
The findings of the research suggest that Level 3 Apprenticeships bring additional benefits
over and above Level 2 Apprenticeships. As shown below, a higher proportion of Level 3
apprentices believed that their ability to do their job had improved (82% compared to
77%), that their sector-specific skills/knowledge had improved (88% compared to 82%),
and that their career prospects had improved (86% compared to 78%).
Table 7.1
Level
Impact of Apprenticeship on skills and abilities: by Level
Impact on Skills and Abilities:
% reporting an improvement
IT Skills
Literacy
Teamwork,
Communication,
Social Skills
Numeracy
Skills / knowledge
of benefit across
sectors
Career Prospects
Skills/knowledge of
benefit within
sector
Ability to do job
All
(5,000)
%
79
84
81
82
74
53
51
47
Level 2
(3,079)
%
77*
82*
78*
80*
72*
53
51
46
Level 3
(1,921)
%
82*
88*
86*
84*
75*
54
51
48
Base
*= Indicates that the difference between the Level 2 and Level 3 figures is statistically significant at
the 95% confidence level.
These differences by level of Apprenticeship are evident across most framework areas.
For learners covered by the Business, Administration and Law framework grouping,
however, studying at Level 3 does not seem to deliver the additional benefits as evident for
other types of Apprenticeship.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Where are Apprenticeships having the biggest impact on learner skills?
The extent to which apprentices report that they have improved their skills and prospects
as a result of the course is influenced by a number of inter-relating factors, including:

the age of the Apprentice;

whether they are an existing employee, and how much experience they have with
the organisation before starting the Apprenticeship; and

the motivations of the individual in taking up an Apprenticeship.
There was a strong link evident between age and the impact on learner skills. In all areas,
older apprentices were considerably less likely to believe that the course had improved
their skills and abilities. For example, the vast majority (93%) of apprentices aged under 19
believed that their course had improved their ability to do their job, compared with only
about two thirds (63%) of those aged 25 or over.
Figure 7.2
Impact of Apprenticeship on skills and abilities: Age groups
82%
71%
20%
10%
0%
Under 19
19-24
85
25 or over
48%
43%
25 or over
Base: Apprentices
aged 25 or over 1,406
51%
30%
52%
40%
48%
54%
50%
54%
50%
56%
60%
62%
63%
% reporting improvement
90%
93%
70%
70%
73%
19-24
Base: Apprentices
aged 19-24 - 1,692
73%
80%
84%
91%
90%
84%
90%
Under 19
Base: Apprentices
aged under 19 - 1,902
88%
94%
100%
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
These differences by age hold even when discounting previous experience and entry route
to the Apprenticeship. These factors are, however, also important determinants of impact.
Apprentices already working when starting their Apprenticeship were much less likely to
report improvements in their skills as a result of the course, in comparison to people
recruited as apprentices. For instance, as shown in Table 7.2, the vast majority of people
recruited specifically as apprentices (94%) feel that they have improved their skills and
knowledge for their chosen sector, compared to four-fifths apprentices who were already
working in this field (79%).
Table 7.2
Impact of Apprenticeship on skills and abilities: by recruitment status
Impact on Skills and Abilities:
% reporting an improvement
IT Skills
Literacy
Teamwork,
Communication,
Social Skills
Numeracy
Skills / knowledge
of benefit across
sectors
Career Prospects
Skills/knowledge of
benefit within
sector
Ability to do job
All
apprentices
(5,000)
%
79
84
81
82
74
53
51
47
Already
employed
(2,800)
%
71*
79*
75*
77*
66*
53
51
44*
Recruited
specifically
(1,804)
%
93*
94*
92*
89*
87*
54
52
51*
Base
‘*’ indicates that the difference between cell figure and All Apprentice figure is statistically
significant at the 95% confidence level.
Clearly, these findings would be expected given that for those recruited specifically as an
Apprentice, the Apprenticeship represents moving into a job and therefore, by very nature
of this, results in a much greater change in circumstance.
The findings also show that the more experience the Apprentice has with the employer,
the less likely they are to report improvements in their ability to do their job – approaching
half (45%) of apprentices who had been with their employer for more than five years
before starting their course 13 said there had been no resultant change in their ability to do
their job.
Whilst it could be seen as positive that in two-thirds of cases these experienced individuals
are reporting benefits in terms of improved sector-specific skills and knowledge (65%
improved) and improved career prospects (64%), it is possible that some of the provision
delivered to this group is embedding or certifying existing skills rather than delivering new
ones.
13
A base of 558 responses
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
There is a link here also with motivations for undertaking the Apprenticeship. Where
learners reported that the main reason for undertaking the Apprenticeship had been to
achieve a qualification (35% of all apprentices surveyed), they were less likely to report
positive impacts on their skills, as compared to those whose main aim was to use the
Apprenticeship to progress in their chosen career. Particular differences between these
groups were seen in terms of the proportion reporting no change in:

Their ability to do their job (29% no change vs. 14% amongst those motivated by
career progression);

Skills of benefit in their chosen field (21% vs. 10%).
Therefore it would seem that there are a significant minority of cases where the
Apprenticeship is being used as a qualification to certify skills that the individual already
possesses. Whilst this is not a policy aim, for some individuals having an industry wide
recognised qualification is of significant value:
“It was only to qualify as a green keeper, to get spraying certificates for example
– a lot of golf courses require that. It’s pretty important.”
Agriculture L3, 19-24 mths, 19-24, overall rating 9
The duration of the Apprenticeship also has a significant impact on the likelihood of
apprentices reporting that they have improved their skills. Short courses are perceived by
apprentices to have a much lesser impact on their abilities and career prospects, as shown
in Figure 7.3 below. For example, the vast majority (90%) of apprentices with courses of
longer than a year felt they had (or would) acquire skills or knowledge of benefit within
their sector, compared to about two thirds (66%) of those on courses lasting less than 6
months. This reiterates findings reported in Chapter 6.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 7.3
Impact of Apprenticeship on skills and abilities: Course duration
80%
49%
47%
42%
51%
54%
47%
56%
53%
48%
50%
55%
59%
60%
71%
73%
% reporting improvement
88%
88%
65%
71%
78%
86%
81%
80%
66%
A year or more
Base: Apprentices
on courses lasting
a year or more –
2,429
82%
90%
70%
6 months – 1 year
Base: Apprentices
on courses 6
months or more but
less than 1 year –
1,729
90%
100%
Less than 6
months
Base: Apprentices
on courses shorter
than 6 months 322
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Less than 6 months
6 months - 1 year
A year or more
The findings suggest that the quality of the training received as part of the Apprenticeship
impacts on skill development. Where apprentices are dissatisfied with the quality of
training received from their college or training provider, only around half (56%) said that
their ability to do their job had improved, compared to eight in ten (82%) of those very
satisfied with the quality of the training.
Initial analysis of the link between satisfaction and impact ratings also suggests a link
between skill development and satisfaction with:

The amount of training received – of those dissatisfied with this, around six in ten
(57%) feel that the Apprenticeship has had a beneficial impact on their ability to do
their job, much lower than the proportion reporting this improvement amongst those
very satisfied with the amount of training received (85%). A difference was also
seen between those dissatisfied and very satisfied with the amount of training
received in terms of the proportion saying that they had improved their vocational
skills for their sector of work (64% and 90% respectively).

The support provided by the employer during the Apprenticeship – where
apprentices expressed dissatisfaction with the level of support, they were much less
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
likely than those very satisfied to say that they had improved skills and knowledge
of benefit in their current area of work (68% vs. 88%).
Tied to the first of these, where learners reported receiving no formal training or informal
on-the-job training from a training provider or employer (9% of apprentices), the impact of
the Apprenticeship was significantly compromised. Only three-fifths of these learners said
that the Apprenticeship had resulted in improvements in skills or knowledge of benefit
within their current or desired area of work (61%, compared to 84% of apprentices overall).
Only just over half (54%) believed that the Apprenticeship had improved their ability to do
their job (compared to 79% of all apprentices).
Perceived improvement in skills and abilities also varied significantly by framework, as
shown in Table 7.3 below. apprentices ranked Construction, Planning and Built
Environment frameworks as being particularly effective in improving their ability to carry
out their job, with almost all (98%) reporting an improvement in this case. The lowest
ranked in this area were Business, Administration and Law frameworks, where just over
two thirds (69%) of apprentices reported an improvement in ability to carry out their job,
although a larger proportion (78%) still felt the course had improved their career prospects.
Frameworks showing lower impact tended to be those with a high proportion of
apprentices (over three-quarters in each case) who were existing employees rather than
new recruits (Business, Administration and Law, Retail & Commercial Enterprise, Other
Apprenticeships).
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 7.3
Impact of Apprenticeship on skills and abilities: by Framework Group
Skills / Abilities
Impact on Skills and Abilities:
% reporting an improvement
IT skills
Literacy
Numeracy
Teamwork,
communication,
social skills
Ability to do job
Career prospects
Skills/knowledge
of benefit across
sectors
Skills/knowledge
of benefit within
sector
Base
All apprentices
(5,000)
%
84
82
81
79
74
53
51
47
Construction,
Planning & Built
Environment
(525)
%
98*
94*
94*
98*
84*
63*
49
39*
Engineering &
Manufacturing
Technologies
(690)
%
90*
86*
85*
87*
81*
57
50
50
Information &
Communication
Technology
(372)
%
84
83
80
81
72
45*
45*
88*
Agriculture,
Horticulture &
Animal Care
(347)
%
94*
78
88*
87*
81*
49
48
39*
Health, Public
Services & Care
(750)
%
88*
80
83
83*
75
54
55*
45
Leisure, Travel
& Tourism
(346)
%
83
85
84
82
75
45*
41*
41*
Business,
Administration &
Law
(1,005)
%
79*
82
78*
69*
69*
52
54*
52*
Retail &
Commercial
Enterprise
(780)
%
77*
76*
75*
72*
68*
51
48
40*
Other
Apprenticeships
(185)
%
81
69*
81
73
64*
50
46
56*
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and All Apprentice figure is statistically significant at the
95% confidence level.
Impact of various factors on skills, abilities and prospects (multivariate
analysis)
Each of the impacts considered in the section have been used as the dependent variable
in a logit model to examine the relationship between the characteristics of the apprentices
themselves and their training with the impacts of the Apprenticeship that they reported 14 .
14
See Appendix B for more details on Logit models
90
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
The dependent variable takes on the value one if the apprentice indicated that their
particular skills had improved a little or a lot, and zero otherwise.
Both current and former apprentices viewed their course as having a strongly positive
impact on their skills and abilities. In many respects the key issue to address is what
impact completing an Apprenticeship has upon employment and skill levels. This is, after
all, the principal purpose of an Apprenticeship: to provide the individual (and the employer)
with the skills they need to enter, and remain in, employment. Individuals will acquire new
skills over the course of their Apprenticeship but it will be the sum total of the skills
acquired by the end of the Apprenticeship which will determine, at least in part, whether
they remain in, or find new employment. The multivariate analysis (presented in Table
7.4) provides an indication of the extent to which the socio-demographic characteristics of
the individual in combination with the type of Apprenticeship they completed affects the
odds of being in employment, This gives an insight into the relative utility of different types
of Apprenticeship. The odds ratios associated with the various explanatory variables for
each separate model are provided in Table 7.4.
The first dependent variable considered was whether or not the Apprenticeship had
improved a person’s ability to do their job. The probability of an apprentice reporting this to
be the case was found to be lower for older apprentices (compared to 16 to 18 year olds),
those who had completed Apprenticeships in ICT, Business Administration and Law and
other broad frameworks (compared to Health, Public Services and Care), and those for
whom the main motivation for undertaking an Apprenticeship had not been to enter into or
progress in their chosen career. Those whose Apprenticeship had been more than two
years long were more than twice as likely to report that the Apprenticeship had improved
their ability to do their job as were those whose Apprenticeship was less than 6 months
long.
The results for the second outcome variable, whether an Apprenticeship had improved the
skills and knowledge of benefit in the individual’s current area of work, were similar to
those found for the previous outcome (improvement in ability to do job). Again, older
apprentices were less likely to report an improvement than were 16 to 18 year olds; whilst
longer Apprenticeship programmes were also associated with greater probability of
reporting that the Apprenticeship had improved the skills and knowledge that are of benefit
in the apprentice’s area of work. As for the previous outcome considered, the motivation of
an individual was again found to have a statistically significant effect on the outcome with
those reporting that they had undertaken the Apprenticeship because it gave them an
opportunity to be paid whilst training or that it was compulsory or requested by their
employer, being less likely to have had a positive outcome. Completion of frameworks in
ICT, Retail, Leisure, Business Administration and other frameworks were also found to
have lower odds of reporting an improvement in the skills and knowledge of benefit to the
individual’s area of work compared to those who had completed frameworks in Health,
Public Services and Care, all else equal.
Whether the Apprenticeship had improved individuals’ skills and knowledge that could be
used across a range of jobs and industries was the third outcome considered. Again, older
apprentices were found less likely to report this improvement. Longer Apprenticeships (six
months to 1 year and more than two years) were also found to increase the likelihood of a
positive outcome. A statistically significant effect of broad sector was only found for
Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal care with those who had completed such frameworks
91
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
having odds of an improvement in broader skills and knowledge equal to less than half the
odds for those who had completed Apprenticeship in Health, Public Services and Care.
Interestingly, amongst the dependent variables considered in Table 3, it was only for
improvements in skills and knowledge of use in range of industries and jobs that any
motivations for undertaking the Apprenticeship, other than to enter or progress in a chosen
career, was found to increase to probability of a positive outcome. In this case, where
individuals indicated that they had undertaken the Apprenticeship primarily to achieve a
qualification, they were more likely to report that they had experienced an improvement in
this type of skills and knowledge than were those who reported entry/progress in an
occupation to be their main motivation (OR=1.38).
The odds that an Apprenticeship improved team work, communication and social skills
was found to be 1.76 times higher for those who were recruited specifically as apprentices
as for existing employees. The only other statistically significant explanatory variables for
this outcome were the age of the apprentice (with older apprentices found to be less likely
to report an improvement in team work, communication and social skills) and where
individuals undertook the Apprenticeship because it was compulsory or the employer
request them to do so (they were also less likely to indicate an improvement stemming
from the Apprenticeship, all else equal).
Few of the explanatory variables were found to have significant effects on the likelihood of
an individual reporting improvement in their numeracy or literacy.
Finally, improvements in IT skills were considered as an impact of the Apprenticeship. The
odds of this improvement being reported were higher in business, administration and Law
and, unsurprisingly, ICT frameworks. People from a BAME group had higher odds of
Apprenticeship improving their IT skills than did white apprentices (OR = 1.55). The odds
of improvement in IT skills were also 50 per cent higher for those who had been given paid
leave for study or college attendance than those who did not receive paid study leave.
For all of the impacts considered in Table 7.4, where an individual had undertaken an
Apprenticeship because it was compulsory or the employer had requested them to
participate, the likelihood of them having a positive outcome (i.e. that Apprenticeship led to
an improvement in the particular set of skills) was much lower than where individuals
indicated that they had undertaken the Apprenticeship in order to gain entry into or to
progress in their chosen career. This finding is similar to that found for overall satisfaction
(see Chapter 5) where having more choice over participation (i.e. not being required by the
employer) has found to be associated with higher levels of satisfaction.
92
Table 7.4
only)
Odds ratios resulting from logit model of the impact of the Apprenticeship on various outcomes (completers
Impact of Apprenticeship on your:
having skills &
having skills and
ability to
knowledge that can
knowledge that
career
be used across a
do your
are of benefit in
prospects
job
range of jobs and
your area of work
industries
team work,
communication and numeracy literacy IT skills
social
skills
Female
1.04
1.02
0.84
1.06
0.98
1.10
1.01
1.16
BAME
1.32
1.11
0.99
0.60*
1.55
1.42
1.22
1.55*
Has disability
1.00
0.81
1.02
0.95
1.41
1.19
1.44
1.12
Level 3
1.25
1.35
1.14
1.36*
0.92
1.09
1.04
0.96
19-24
0.56*
0.66*
0.72*
0.79
0.51*
0.83
0.75*
0.90
25+
0.40*
0.44*
0.55*
0.58*
0.38*
1.07
0.78
1.21
Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care
1.57
1.46
0.42*
0.75
0.85
0.74
0.68
0.99
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
0.99
1.16
1.54
0.66
0.97
0.98
0.72
1.48
Construction, Planning & the Built Environment
2.50
1.08
1.62
0.60
0.86
1.22
0.78
0.76
Information and Communication Technology
0.42*
0.47*
1.25
0.50*
0.90
0.88
0.81
8.87*
Retail and Commercial Enterprise
0.70
0.50*
0.92
0.67
0.93
0.83
0.86
1.01
Leisure, Travel and Tourism
0.91
0.44*
0.99
0.67
0.93
0.58*
0.66*
1.03
Business, Administration and Law
0.66*
0.57*
1.33
0.64*
0.75
1.10
1.03
1.57*
Other from sample
0.41*
0.25*
0.62
0.63
0.53
1.20
0.83
1.91
6 months to 1 year
1.13
1.42
1.53*
1.25
1.12
0.77
0.79
1.11
1 to 2 years
1.34
1.56
1.53
1.22
1.31
0.71
0.76
1.19
More than 2 years
2.04*
2.16*
1.84*
2.01*
1.58
1.34
1.11
1.19
REF: 16-18
REF: Health, Public Services and Care
REF: less than 6 months
REF: existing employee
93
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Impact of Apprenticeship on your:
having skills &
having skills and
knowledge that can
ability to
knowledge that
career
do your
be used across a
are of benefit in
prospects
job
range of jobs and
your area of work
industries
team work,
communication and numeracy literacy IT skills
social
skills
Recruited for Apprenticeship
1.29
1.23
1.02
1.48*
1.76*
0.78*
0.86
1.14
Achievement of a qualification
0.60*
0.74
1.38*
0.69*
1.01
1.17
0.98
1.03
Opportunity to be paid whilst training
0.66*
0.56*
0.92
0.56*
0.87
0.81
0.70*
0.89
Compulsory / requested by employer
0.14*
0.17*
0.24*
0.13*
0.23*
0.47*
0.30*
0.21*
REF: To enter or progress in chosen career
Note: REF indicates the base case or reference group for particular variables to which the other values are compared.
A ‘*’ indicates statistical significance at the 5% level.
94
Apprentice views on the value of their Apprenticeship compared to
academic alternatives
Apprentices were asked about the relative value they put on their Apprenticeship
qualification compared to a GCSE or A Level, the non-vocational qualifications generally
considered to be of equivalent level to their Apprenticeship.
A total of 62% of Level 2 apprentices felt that their Apprenticeship was more useful than a
GCSE for their current job, and 64% that it would be more useful for their future career.
Meanwhile, a total of 67% of Level 3 apprentices felt that their Apprenticeship was more
useful than an A-Level for their current job, and the same proportion felt it would be more
useful for their future career.
However, apprentices generally felt that GCSEs / A-Levels were harder than Level 2 /
Level 3 Apprenticeships. A total of 25% of Level 2 apprentices felt that their qualification
was more difficult than a GCSE, while 49% felt a GCSE was more difficult. Level 3
apprentices were asked about A-Levels, with 47% feeling the A-Level was more difficult
and 20% that the Apprenticeship was the more difficult.
Impact on employment circumstances
It is clear that the majority of learners feel that their Apprenticeship has had a positive
impact in improving their vocational skills. It is also possible to explore the extent to which
these improvements and benefits translate into positive outcomes for individuals in the
year after they complete their Apprenticeship. Key areas of interest include:

Overall employment rates amongst Apprenticeship completers;

The prevalence of sustained employment with the Apprenticeship employer;

Career progression as evidenced through promotions, pay rises and increases in
job security and satisfaction.
Figure 7.4 below shows the employment circumstances as of late 2011 of the surveyed
cohort of apprentices completing their Apprenticeship between August 2010 and March
2011. Encouragingly, the majority (85%) were still in employment, and most of these (64%
of completers overall) were with the same employer with which they completed the
Apprenticeship.
95
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 7.4
Employment outcomes of completed apprentices
Same employer: 64%
Completers
Employed:
85%
Different employer: 21%
Self-employed: 4%
Full Time College: 1%
In education or
training: 3%
Part Time College: 1%
University: 1%
Unemployed: 8%
Base: All apprentices who have completed their course – 2,250
N.B. Excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
As would be expected, outcomes are very much linked with entry route. Most completers
who were existing employees when starting their Apprenticeship are still employed (88%),
with seven in ten (71%) still with the same employer. In contrast, amongst those recruited
specifically as an Apprentice, a smaller proportion (80%) are in employment, with only
around half (54%) remaining with the same employer. The unemployment rate is higher for
those recruited specifically (12%, compared to 6% amongst those completers already
employed before the Apprenticeship).
Unemployment levels also varied by age, with around one tenth of completers aged under
19 and aged 19-24 unemployed (9% in each group). A smaller proportion (5%) of those
aged over 25 were unemployed. In the context of high youth unemployment, however, it is
encouraging that over three quarters (80%) of the youngest apprentices (aged under 19)
are in employment.
The unemployment rate was lowest in the South East region, where only one in twenty
(5%) were unemployed (vs. 8% across all regions).
As discussed previously, a substantial minority of all apprentices (15%) were recruited
specifically to the Apprenticeship on a fixed-term contract only lasting the length of their
Apprenticeship. Looking at the outcomes for these apprentices in the completer group,
96
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
most (72%) were in employment, with over two-fifths overall (45%) having stayed on with
their Apprenticeship employer on a renewed contract.
The unemployment rate was significantly higher for this group, however, with approaching
one-fifth (18%) out of work at the time of survey. A higher proportion of individuals on
fixed-term contracts had returned to full-time education or training (5% vs. 1% of those on
permanent contracts), as shown in Table 7.5 below.
Table 7.5
Employment outcomes of completed apprentices recruited specifically
– by contract type
Contract type
Outcomes
With same
employer
Self
employe
d
Education /
Training
Row percentages
Base
Employed
All Completers who
were recruited
specifically
918
80
54
4
12
3
Fixed-term contract
lasting length of
Apprenticeship
388
72*
45*
4
18*
5
Fixed-term contract
lasting longer than this
125
83
60
2
11
5
Permanent or openended contract
366
87*
64*
5
7
1
Unemployed
‘*’ indicates that the difference between cell figures and ‘All completers who were recruited
specifically’ figures is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.
Among those completers who were recruited specifically, variation in outcome by broad
framework area is substantial although it is important to consider that the current economic
downturn has affected different sectors in different ways and therefore any analysis of
employment outcomes by sector (or framework area) should take this into account.

The lowest levels of unemployment (5%) are among apprentices who completed an
Apprenticeship covered by the Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
framework. More than two thirds (68%) are with the employer with whom they
carried out the Apprenticeship.

The results for the Retail and Commercial Enterprise framework area suggest that a
lower than average proportion of specifically recruited completers are in
employment (62% vs. the average of 80%), and only just over a third (36%) having
sustained employment with the same employer. About one quarter (27%) are
unemployed.

Those in the Leisure, Travel and Tourism group are most likely to go on to more
education or training (11% vs. 3% overall).
97
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners

In Construction, Planning and Built Environment only about three quarters (74%) of
completers have an employer; however, a significant proportion are self-employed
(19%), so a high proportion (92%) are still in work.
Table 7.6
Employment outcomes of completed apprentices recruited specifically
– by broad framework area
Framework group
Self
With
employe
same
employer d
Row percentages
Base
Employe
d
All Completers who were
recruited specifically
918
80
54
4
12
3
Health, Public Services &
Care
109
83*
55
1
15*
1
Agriculture, Horticulture &
Animal Care
66
80
60*
13*
5*
0
Engineering &
Manufacturing
Technologies
210
89*
68*
1
5*
5
Construction, Planning &
Built Environment
127
74*
55
19*
7*
1
Information &
Communication
Technology
55
70*
41*
3
25*
1
Retail & Commercial
Enterprise
80
62*
36*
7
27*
4
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
99
73*
37*
3
12
11*
Business, Administration &
Law
164
86*
56
-
11
3
Unemployed
Education /
Training
Note: ‘Other Apprenticeships’ broad framework group not shown because of low base size.
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall ‘All Completers who were recruited
specifically’ figure is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.
Impact on progression at work
Apprentices who had completed their course and were in work at the time of survey were
asked about any improvements to their employment circumstances following completion of
the Apprenticeship. The results are shown in Figure 7.5 below. Since completing the
course, three quarters (75%) of former apprentices in work were taking on more
responsibility; slightly fewer had better job satisfaction (71%), or felt that their future pay
and promotion prospects had improved (70%). Two thirds (66%) felt they now had more
job security, and a significant proportion (36%) had been promoted. This is equivalent to
one third (32%) of all completers having received a promotion.
98
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 7.5 Changes in employment circumstances since finishing an
Apprenticeship
Base: Apprentices who have finished their course and were in work - 2,157
89%
75%
71%
70%
66%
36%
Any of these changes Doing a job with more More job satisfaction
Future pay and
responsibilities
promotion prospects
improved
Better job security
Promotion
A large majority of completers in work (89%) had experienced at least one of these
positive changes since the end of their Apprenticeship, equating to three quarters (77%) of
completers overall.
Where apprentices did report that they had experienced these positive improvements in
their status at work, they did not, however, always believe that the Apprenticeship had
helped them to achieve these. In one in six cases where positive changes had occurred
since completion (16%), the Apprentice completer said that this was in no way attributable
to the Apprenticeship. Whilst over eight in ten (83%) who had progressed at work felt that
the Apprenticeship had helped them achieve this to some degree, only one in seven (15%)
felt that the change could be attributed directly to the effect of the Apprenticeship. This is
equivalent to 12% of all completers in work saying that they had been achieved
progression directly because of the Apprenticeship.
Looking at just those in work, differences in the incidence of these changes are evident by
broad framework area. Key findings include:

The vast majority of apprentices covered by the Construction, Planning & Built
Environment framework (98%) reported at least one of the improvements since
completing their Apprenticeship. Higher than average proportions said that they had
99
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
received a promotion (47%), were more secure in their job (76%) and had improved
future pay and promotion prospects (89%).

Those who had completed Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies
Apprenticeships and had remained in work were also particularly likely to report
career progress, with approaching half having received a promotion (46%) and
almost nine in ten (88%) trusted with a job with more responsibilities.
Where these three groups had achieved these positive step-ups at work, they were also
more likely than those in other framework groups to attribute these changes directly to the
impact of the Apprenticeship.
Working completers in the Retail & Commercial Enterprise, Business, Administration &
Law, and Other Apprenticeship framework areas were less likely to report any of the
positive changes, although this does reflect the fact that these groups have higher than
average proportions of apprentices who were existing employees before they started their
course. These more experienced employees were less likely than people who were new
recruits when they started their Apprenticeships to experience progression following
completion, for instance in terms of promotions (32% vs. 46%) and being given a job with
more responsibilities (66% vs. 90%). Furthermore, where the more experienced
apprentices had achieved progression or increased job satisfaction or security, they were
less likely to attribute this change directly to the Apprenticeship (10% vs. 23% of people
who were new recruits).
For individuals who were already working for the employer before starting their
Apprenticeship, the likelihood of outcomes like being promoted and stepping up a level in
terms of responsibility is relatively equal whether the individual has remained with the
Apprenticeship employer or not. For individuals recruited specifically for the Apprenticeship
however, more progression occurs where they have sustained employment with the
original employer; for instance, over half of those who stayed with the same employer said
they had been promoted to a higher level job role (54% vs. 29% of those who moved on)
or had more job security (83% vs. 74%).
There is a link evident between the extent to which the Apprentice feels that the course
has given them the skills and knowledge of benefit in their current work, and the extent of
progression. Where apprentices reported no change in their skill level, only a quarter
(28%) reported that they had progressed at work and that the Apprenticeship had helped
them to do so.
The in-depth interviews highlighted some groups who were dissatisfied with the impact of
their Apprenticeship on their prospects in their current work, sometimes even if satisfied
with the Apprenticeship training itself.
“I’ve left that firm now, because after getting this NVQ they promoted someone
else without the NVQ. So I was quite annoyed about that... I just retired in the
end”
Health L3, under 6 months, 25+, overall satisfaction rating 10
100
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
In addition, those interviewees who had carried out stand-alone Apprenticeships (with or
without employer involvement) which did not lead to the possibility of permanent
employment tended to be dissatisfied with the impact of their course, although there were
exceptions if useful and relevant training was felt to be provided.
As we have seen earlier in this section, where learners reported that the main reason for
undertaking the Apprenticeship had been to achieve a qualification, they were less likely to
report positive impacts on their skills, as compared to those whose main aim was to use
the Apprenticeship to progress in their chosen career. This also translates into differences
between these two groups in the progression in work after the Apprenticeship is
completed, as shown in Table 7.7 below. Those undertaking the Apprenticeship to achieve
a qualification are less likely to achieve positive outcomes, for instance, in gaining a
promotion (30% vs. 41% motivated by progressing their career). This pattern holds even
when entry route is controlled for.
Table 7.7
Changes in employment circumstances since finishing an
Apprenticeship – by motivation for undertaking the Apprenticeship
% reporting change in circumstances
All
All whose main
motivation:
Progress in
chosen career
All whose main
motivation:
Achieve a
qualification
All whose main
motivation:
Opportunity to
be paid whilst
training
2,157
1,040
664
365
%
%
%
%
Job with more
responsibilities
75
81*
67*
84*
More job satisfaction
71
78*
64*
74*
Future pay and
promotion prospects
improved
70
77*
60*
80*
Better job security
66
72*
60*
72*
Promotion
36
41*
30*
41*
Base – All completers
in work
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall ‘All Completers in work’ figure is statistically
significant at the 95% confidence level.
Impact on earning ability and potential
Apprentices who had completed their course were also specifically asked if they had
received a pay rise on the completion of their course. In total, nearly half (44%) of all
apprentices who had completed their course had received a pay rise at that time.
The differences by broad framework area are similar to those seen throughout this
chapter, with significantly high rates of pay rises on completion amongst apprentices
covered by the following framework areas:
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners

Construction, Planning & Built Environment (77%);

Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies (71%);

Agriculture, Horticulture & Animal Care (60%).
Apprentices in the Health, Public Services & Care group were also significantly more likely
to have received a pay rise on completion of the Apprenticeship, perhaps reflecting more
standardised pay scales linked to qualifications in the public sector.
Mirroring earlier findings on career progression, those undertaking Apprenticeships in the
broad areas of Retail & Commercial Enterprise and Business, Administration & Law were
less likely to have received a pay rise automatically on completion of their Apprenticeship
(26% and 33% respectively), as were apprentices in Information & Communication
Technology (31%).
As shown in Figure 7.6, it is again the case that existing employees experience less
change in their circumstances after their Apprenticeship as compared to new recruits.
Nearly two thirds of those recruited specifically to carry out an Apprenticeship (65%)
received a pay rise on completion, compared to less than one third of existing employees
(31%). This largely explains the pattern by age, with the youngest employees (aged 16-18)
particularly likely to receive a pay rise, building on their basic Apprenticeship pay. Of
course, existing employees will be on at least minimum wage whereas those joining as
new recruits are more likely to be taken on at the lower apprentice wage.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 7.6
course
Proportion of apprentices receiving a pay rise on completion of the
Base: Variable
– see column
titles
Age Group
Recruitment Status
Course Duration
65%
62%
56%
46%
44%
32%
31%
21%
17%
Figure 7.6 picks out the pattern by course duration, showing that those on shorter courses
are the least likely to receive a pay rise (21% of those on courses of less than six months,
compared to 62% of those on courses lasting a year or more). This again fits with the
profile of those apprentices showing lower satisfaction and who have been revealed as
developing fewer new skills. The link goes back again to motivations, with those who did
the course ‘to achieve a qualification’ less likely to be seeing progression as a result of the
Apprenticeship (33% vs. 47% amongst those motivated to take the Apprenticeship to
progress in their career).
The proportion of apprentices receiving a pay rise was also linked to the Apprenticeship
Level. A minority (37%) of Level 2 apprentices received a pay rise on completion,
compared with more than half (55%) of Level 3 apprentices.
All apprentices (both current and completers) were also asked if they thought their course
would help them to earn more in the future. The great majority (84%) thought that this was
the case, considerably higher than the proportion of completers receiving an immediate
pay rise (44%).
The chart below summarises this across some key variables. Although the general
patterns are very similar to those shown above for actual experiences of pay rises, the
differences between groups are smaller. Those who were recruited specifically for an
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Apprenticeship were much more likely than average (93%) to believe it would increase
their earning potential, as were apprentices aged under 19 (93%) and those on courses
lasting a year or more (91%).
Figure 7.7
potential
Proportion of apprentices believing course had increased their earning
Base: Variable
– see column
titles
Recruitment Status
93%
Age Group
Course Duration
93%
91%
88%
84%
80%
79%
72%
69%
Most (81%) Level 2 apprentices thought that the course had increased their long term
earning potential, compared with an even larger proportion of (89%) of Level 3
apprentices.
The vast majority (90%) of apprentices who had started their Apprenticeship in order to
progress in their career or to earn whilst training expected it to increase their earning
potential, falling to about three quarters (78%) among those who had done the course to
“achieve a qualification”.
Impact of various factors on key post-completion outcomes
(multivariate analysis)
Multivariate analysis of the outcomes after completion of an Apprenticeship was carried
out on the sample of completers only. Three different key outcomes were considered and
each treated, separately, as the dependent variable in a logit model which estimated the
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
association between each independent variable and the probability of a particular
outcome 15 . The three outcome variables considered are:

the former apprentice’s current employment status;

whether the apprentice received a wage increase upon completion; and,

whether the former apprentice had been promoted since completion.
Table 7.8 summarises the resulting odds ratios (OR) for each of these models. Where the
odds ratio is less than one, the estimated coefficient is negative and where the odds ratio
is greater than one, the coefficient estimate is positive (indicating a positive impact on the
probability of the outcome variable being equal to 1). The results for each outcome are
discussed in further detail below.
The first model considered the impact of various factors on the current employment
status of the former apprentice. In the logit model, the dependent variable took on the
value 1 if the individual was employed or self-employed and 0 otherwise. Those not in
work (0) could be in education (full-time or part-time), in training or at university but the
majority of individuals not in work were unemployed (71 per cent).
For individuals who were from black or minority ethnic (BAME) groups the odds of being in
work were found to be less than half the odds for white individuals (OR=0.46), all else
equal. Former apprentices aged 25 years and older were more likely to report that they
were currently in work than were those aged 16 to 18 years (OR=1.72). Similarly, those
who had done a Level 3 Apprenticeship had higher likelihood of being in work than those
who had done a Level 2 (OR=1.69), all else equal.
The duration of the Apprenticeship was also found to have a statistically significant positive
association with the probability of being in work with individuals who had completed longer
Apprenticeships more likely to be employed or self-employed than those who had
completed Apprenticeships less than 6 months in duration. The odds of being employed or
self-employed are more than 70 per cent higher for those with apprenticeships between 6
months and 1 year in length (OR=1.72), and more than twice as high for more than 1 year
compared to less than 6 months (OR=2.27). Those who had been on permanent or openended contracts were found to be more likely to be employed or self-employed currently.
Those who had had apprentice contracts that were only as long as the Apprenticeship
itself had less than half the odds of being employed or self-employed (OR=0.34) as those
who were on permanent or open-ended contracts during their Apprenticeship. The
duration of the programme was found to have the greatest marginal effects on the
probability of being employed or self-employed.
It is useful to illustrate what the above findings imply in terms of the probabilities of being
employed or self-employed for individuals with particular characteristics. The base case for
this particular model is an individual who was aged 16 to 18 years, male, white, not
disabled, was an existing employee on a permanent or open-ended contract (during the
15
See Appendix B for details
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Apprenticeship), and who completed a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Health, Public Services
and Care which was less than 6 months in duration. In this base case, the main motivation
for the individual undertaking an Apprenticeship was to gain entry into or progress in their
chosen career. The probability of being in work for an individual with this set of
characteristics is estimated to be 84.8 per cent. Taking an individual with the same
characteristics as this but who is from a BAME group rather than white, the predicted
probability of being employed or self-employed is 72 per cent – a decrease of 12.8
percentage points. Similarly, for a person with all the base characteristics except that he
was on a fixed contract for the length of the Apprenticeship (rather than a permanent or
open-ended contract), the probability of not being in work is predicted to be 65.7 per cent –
a difference of 19.1 percentage points compared to the base case.
This latter case illustrates that without a guarantee of employment with the training
employer after completion of the Apprenticeship, the probability of an individual remaining
in work is reduced significantly. The duration of time out of employment is not observed in
this analysis but it may be that being out of employment after completion of a fixed term
apprenticeship contract is only a short transitional phase with the apprentice securing
employment with another employer within a relatively short period of time. It would
however, be an additional concern if moving out of employment at the end of such a
contract only marked the beginning of a relatively long period of unemployment.
The dependent variable in the second model indicated whether or not an apprentice had
received a wage increase on completion of their Apprenticeship, with 1 indicating they
had an increase in pay and 0 otherwise. The predicted probabilities of receiving a wage
increase were found to be lower (compared to the base case, Health, Public Services and
Care) in five broad Apprenticeship sectors: ICT; Retail and Commercial Enterprise; Leisure
Travel and Tourism; Business Administration and Law; and Other framework sectors. The
odds ratios for these sectors range from 0.27 (Other frameworks) to 0.51 (Leisure, Travel
and Tourism) indicating that for each of these sectors, the odds of receiving a pay increase
are half (or less) the odds of receiving an increase in the reference sector.
Where an individual had been recruited specifically as an apprentice, rather than being an
existing employee prior to starting an Apprenticeship, the odds of receiving a pay increase
upon completion were more than twice those for an existing employee (2.42). As
discussed earlier, to some extent this reflects that existing employees will be on at least
minimum wage whereas those joining as new recruits are more likely to be taken on at the
lower apprentice wage. The duration of the Apprenticeship was also found to be significant
in determining the probability of having a pay increase upon completion as well, with the
odds of an increase in pay being more than twice the odds for the base case for those
whose Apprenticeships lasted 1 to 2 years (OR=2.05) and more than 3 times the odds of
the base case for those whose Apprenticeship lasted more than 2 years (OR=3.25).
The predicted probability of an apprentice receiving a wage increase is equal to 40.9 per
cent in the base case (i.e. male, white, not-disabled, 16 to 18 years, Level 2
Apprenticeship in Health Public Services and Care, lasting less than 6 months, existing
employee, and motivated by the opportunity to gain entry into or progress in chosen
career). A person with the same characteristics except that he completed a Level 3
Apprenticeship has a predicted probability of receiving a pay increase of 48 per cent – 7.1
percentage points greater than that for the base case. The predicted probability of
receiving a wage increase for someone with the same characteristics as the base case
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
expect having done an Apprenticeship in ICT (rather than Health, Public Services and
Care) is 17.2 per cent which is 23.7 percentage points lower than the predicted probability
for the reference individual. If however, such an individual has done an ICT apprenticeship
which has lasted 1 to 2 years (rather than less than 6 months), for example, the probability
of receiving an increase in pay upon completion is predicted as 30 per cent.16
The third set of results presented in Table 1 is based on the logit model where whether or
not a person has received a promotion (after completion) is the dependent variable. As
found for the probability of receiving a wage increase, the probability of being promoted is
positively associated with having completed a Level 3 Apprenticeship (compared to Level
2). The duration of the Apprenticeship was not found to have a statistically significant
effect on the probability of promotion. Older apprentices (aged 25 years and over) are less
likely to have received a promotion than apprentices aged 16 to 18 years old with the odds
of promotion for older workers being around one third of the odds of promotion for 16 to 18
year olds (OR=0.33).
The odds of promotion were found to be higher for apprentices who completed frameworks
in Business Administration and Law, Retail and Commercial Enterprise, and Engineering
and Manufacturing Technologies than the odds of promotion for those who had completed
in Heath, Public Services and Care, all else equal. This differential was highest for
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, with the odds of promotion being 1.74 times
the odds of the reference sector.
In terms of predicted probabilities, someone with the reference characteristics (i.e. male,
white, not-disabled, 16 to 18 years, Level 2 Apprenticeship in Health Public Services and
Care, lasting less than 6 months, existing employee, and motivated by the opportunity to
gain entry into or progress in chosen career) has a 36.3 per cent predicted probability of
being promoted. This compares to 50.3 per cent (a difference of 14 percentage points) for
someone who has completed an Apprenticeship in Engineering and Manufacturing
Technologies, all else equal. Similarly, compared to the base case, having completed a
Level 3 Apprenticeship, all else equal, results in the probability of being promoted being
13.5 percentage points higher than for Level 2.
16
Interaction terms, such as that between framework and duration of the apprenticeship, were included in
alternative specifications of the models presented in Table 7.8. These interaction effects largely showed the
same overall findings as those presented with here with mainly differences in the resulting magnitude of
predicted probabilities and so the detailed results are not presented in order to facilitate interpretation.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 7.8
Odds ratios resulting from logit models of current employment status,
wage increase and promotion outcomes
Dependent variable
Current
Employment
Status
(1=employed or
self-employed)
Wage Increase
(1=received
wage increase
postcompletion)
Promotion
(1=was
promoted
postcompletion)
Female
0.81
1.28
0.9
BAME
0.46*
0.7
0.96
Has disability
1.18
0.75
0.96
REF: 16-18
19-24
0.99
0.85
0.79
25+
1.72*
0.28*
0.33*
Level 3
1.69*
1.34*
1.74*
REF: Health, Public Services and Care
Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care
1.54
1.08
1.41
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
1.20
1.38
1.78*
Construction, Planning & the Built Environment
1.19
1.51
1.53
Information and Communication Technology
0.99
0.3*
1.85
Retail and Commercial Enterprise
1.09
0.34*
1.47*
Leisure, Travel and Tourism
0.99
0.51*
1.08
Business, Administration and Law
1.23
0.48*
1.46*
Other from sample
0.39
0.27*
1.34
REF: less than 6 months
6 months to 1 year
1.72*
1.41
1
1 to 2 years
2.27*
2.05*
1.11
More than 2 years
2.27*
3.25*
0.79
REF: existing employee
Recruited for Apprenticeship
0.83
2.43*
1.26
Other/don't know
1.49
1.92
1.33
REF: To enter or progress in chosen career
Achievement of a qualification
1.10
0.75*
0.69*
Opportunity to be paid whilst training
0.78
1
0.73*
Compulsory / requested by employer
5.56
0.23*
0.53
Other
1.12
0.9
1.09
Don't Know
REF: permanent or open-ended contract
Fixed-term contract - length of Apprenticeship
0.34*
Fixed-term contract - longer than Apprenticeship
0.72
Other
0.44*
don't know
1.18
Note: REF indicates the base case or reference group for particular variables to which the other
values are compared.
‘*’ indicates statistical significance at the 5% level.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Impact on job-hunting and employment prospects
As noted previously, less than one in ten of the completer cohort (9%) were unemployed at
the time of survey. Over three-quarters of these (78%) were seeking work. In addition,
there were a number of former apprentices who were in education and training but seeking
work (30% of this group).
Among these job-hunters, about a quarter (24%) are seeking work only in the sector of
their Apprenticeship, while a larger proportion (38%) are considering the Apprenticeship
sector but also some other fields. Most of the remainder (27%) said that they were looking
for any type of work that would be available. One in eight (12%) said explicitly that they
would not be looking for work within their Apprenticeship sector.
Because of the small sample of unemployed former apprentices, it is difficult to break this
down into sub-groups. However there was a statistically significant difference by reason for
starting the Apprenticeship; those who started in order to progress in their chosen career
were much more likely (34%) to seek work only in the sector of their Apprenticeship than
those who sought to ‘achieve a qualification’ (10%). Those who started their
Apprenticeship seeking an opportunity to be paid whilst training were much more likely to
say they would take ‘any work’ (46%, compared to an average of 27%). Please note that
the percentages here should be treated with caution since they are based on small
samples.
Among those Apprentice completers looking for work at the time of survey, over threequarters (77%) felt that the Apprenticeship had given them a better chance of finding a job,
but most of these thought that it had given them ‘slightly more chance’ (59%) rather than
‘significantly more chance’ (18%).
Continued learning
The Apprenticeship model aims to provide a clear progression route for developing an
individual’s skills from Level 2 through to Level 4. As discussed in the introduction, the
current aim is to reshape Apprenticeships so that Level 3 becomes the Level to which
learners and employers aspire. In this context, it is interesting to look at the extent of
progression from one level of Apprenticeship to another, and also the alternative
development routes considered after completion of the Apprenticeship.
Figure 7.8 below shows the qualifications being considered or undertaken by completers
of Apprenticeships at Level 2 and Level 3. There is a clear trend for completers of Level 2
Apprenticeships to carry on towards a Level 3 Apprenticeship, with about a quarter (24%)
of completers already having done so, and a further third (30%) considering doing so in
the future. Level 3 apprentices moved on to a wide variety of other courses, no single
route attracting more than a small proportion (5%) of completers, although a significant
percentage (33%) were considering a Level 4 Apprenticeship.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 7.8
Continuing to further qualifications: Level 2 and Level 3 apprentices
24%
Level 3
Apprenticeship
Level 2
30%
Base: Level 2 Apprentices
who have completed their
course – 1,580
12%
Other Training
32%
5%
Level 4
Apprenticeship
33%
5%
HNC
Started
Considering
24%
Level 3
Foundation Degree
3%
22%
Other Degree
Base: Level 3 Apprentices
who have completed their
course – 920
4%
21%
Other Training
10%
35%
Looking specifically at former Level 2 apprentices progressing to Level 3 Apprenticeships,
the proportion doing so varied considerably between different groups, as shown in the
Table 7.9. Younger apprentices are much more likely to continue to further training, with a
third (33%) of under 19s who have completed a Level 2 course already moving on to Level
3, compared to a much smaller proportion (12%) of those aged over 25.
The motivation for starting the Level 2 Apprenticeship was also an indicator of whether an
Apprentice would go on to Level 3; of those who said they did the first Apprenticeship to
“achieve a qualification”, only a minority (17%) had started a Level 3 Apprenticeship,
compared to a larger proportion (28-30%) in other groups. In addition, those who were
recruited specifically to be apprentices were more likely to go on to do a further course
(31%, compared to 20% of other apprentices).
However, the strongest indicator of likelihood to continue to Level 3 was course duration.
Those carrying out short courses were much less likely to continue; only a few (8%) of
those who had completed a Level 2 course less than 6 months long were studying for a
Level 3 Apprenticeship, compared to more than a third (37%) of those who had completed
a course lasting a year or more.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Table 7.9
Progression from Level 2 to Level 3 Apprenticeships: Selected groups
Groups
Base: All Level 2 apprentices who
completed their course
Base
(Unwtd)
Already
studying a
Level 3
Apprenticeship
Considering a
Level 3
Apprenticeship
Neither
All Level 2 apprentices who
completed their course
1,580
24
30
46
Aged under 19
694
% 33*
28
40*
Aged 19-24
580
% 22
28
50*
Aged 25 or over
306
% 12*
39*
50*
Already employed prior to
Apprenticeship
865
%
% 20*
31
48
Recruited specifically as an Apprentice
573
% 31*
28
42
Started Apprenticeship to progress in
career
729
%
% 28*
34*
37*
Started Apprenticeship to gain
qualification
500
% 17*
31
51*
Started Apprenticeship to be paid
whilst training
279
% 30
21*
49
Course duration less than 6 months
165
% 8*
37*
55*
Course duration less than 1 year
669
% 20*
33
47
Course duration of a year or more
565
% 37*
23*
40*
‘*’ indicates difference between cell figure and overall ‘All Level 2 apprentices who completed their
course’ figure is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.
The evaluation provides indications of the rates of progression within different broad
framework areas. Amongst Level 2 completers, the proportion who had progressed to a
Level 3 Apprenticeship was above average in:

Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies (41% progressed to Level 3);

Health, Public Services & Care (38%)
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners

Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care (34%).
Conversely, lower progression rates were found for the cohorts covered by the following
frameworks:

Retail & Commercial Enterprise (15%)

Leisure, Travel and Tourism (15%)

Business, Administration and Law (21%).
Personal Development
Thus far, the analysis has focused on how Apprenticeships equip with individuals with
skills to make a difference in their working life. The evaluation also looked to assess some
‘softer’ impacts of Apprenticeships, focusing on confidence, aspiration and quality of life.
Figure 7.9 shows the proportion of apprentices (both current and completers) agreeing
with various statements around personal development. There is clear evidence of the
impact of Apprenticeships in raising aspiration, with a large majority (82%) of current and
former apprentices agreeing that the Apprenticeship had made them more enthusiastic
about learning, and over three quarters (77%) feeling that they had a better idea where
they were going with their career.
Apprenticeships also equip individuals with the confidence they need to fulfil their
aspirations, with almost nine in ten (87%) strongly agreeing that they are more confident
about their own abilities as a result of undertaking the Apprenticeship. Nearly two thirds
(62%) agreed that the course had improved their overall quality of life.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 7.9
Impact of Apprenticeship on personal development
Base: All Apprentices – 5,000
Disagree
More confident about own abilities
3%
More enthusiasm for learning
5%
More likely to do further
learning/training
Better idea about own career
aspirations
9%
6%
Improved quality of life 10%
Agree
Strongly Agree
27%
61%
35%
47%
29%
52%
26%
51%
27%
35%
Sharing of experience
The evaluation provides a measure of knowledge transfer from Apprenticeships, providing
evidence of how the benefits of Apprenticeships may spread more widely than the
individual learner. A majority (70%) of apprentices stated that they had shared what they
had learned from their Apprenticeship training with other employees in the workplace, a
large minority (41%) of them frequently.
However, one notable trend was that those on shorter courses were less likely to share
their learning with others, with just over half (57%) of those on (or having completed)
courses of less than 6 months having done so. In contrast, nearly three quarters (73%) of
those on courses lasting for a year or more had shared their learning with others, just
under half (47%) of them frequently.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 8: Future Plans
Introduction
This chapter briefly outlines the future prospects of apprentices, as seen by the
apprentices themselves, covering the likelihood of completion of their Apprenticeship, and
their forward progression into either employment or additional education and training.
Likelihood of completion
Overall, the vast majority of current apprentices (87%) believed themselves to be very
likely to complete their courses. A small minority (11%) believed themselves to be only
“quite likely” to finish, with just a tiny minority (2%) considering it unlikely.
There were only small differences in this regard between different groups of apprentices;
however, apprentices in London were significantly less likely (76%) to state that they were
‘very likely’ to complete their course, but more likely (21%) to say they were ‘quite likely’ to
complete. Those in the East Midlands showed the reverse trend, with the vast majority
(91%) saying they were ‘very likely’ to complete but only a small proportion (7%) saying
they were ‘quite likely’ to complete.
Level 3 courses also had a slightly higher proportion being ‘very likely’ to complete (90%)
compared to a slightly lower proportion (84%) for Level 2 courses. Those learners aged 25
or over also had a slightly lower proportion being ‘very likely’ to complete (84%), compared
to a higher proportion (90%) among those aged 19-24. Similarly, among those on courses
lasting more than a year, a higher than average proportion (90%) felt they were ‘very likely’
to complete their course, compared to a smaller proportion (84%) among those on courses
of less than a year.
Continued development and progression
Looking at those apprentices who had completed their courses, as shown in the flowchart
below, a large majority (88%) were in employment. Apart from a small proportion of
completers who were self-employed (4%), employed completers were also asked whether
they expected to remain with the same employer, and if not if they intended to remain in
the same sector.
A total of 53% of apprentices who had completed their courses are still with the same
employer and intend to stay with that employer for the next 2-3 years.
Adding together all the different groups, a quarter (24%) of completers in total are seeking
or intend to be seeking new employment in the next 2-3 years, and a majority (59%) of that
group, or just under a fifth (14%) of all completers, expect to be looking in the same sector
as their Apprenticeship.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 8.1 Future employment expectations: apprentices who have completed
their course
In 2-3 years...
Same
employer: 53%
Same
employer:
64%
Same sector: 6%
Other
employer: 10%
Different sector: 4%
Completers
In 2-3 years...
Same
employer: 13%
Different
employer:
21%
Same sector: 4%
Other
employer: 7%
Different sector: 3%
Selfemployed:
4%
Not
employed:
12%
Looking for work:7%
Same sector: 4%
Different sector: 3%
Not looking for work: 5%
Base: All apprentices who have completed their course
Unweighted Base: 2,250
N.B. Excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
Figure 8.2 shows the proportion of apprentices (current and completers) who intend to
remain in their current sector of employment, or with their current employer, over the next
2-3 years.
Overall, about three quarters (77%) of completers intend to remain with the same
employer, and a similar proportion (79%) of current apprentices. A small proportion more
(12% of completers and 12% of current apprentices) expect to remain in the same sector,
although not with the same employer. The main differences between sub-groups in this
measure were by age, with those aged over 25 slightly more likely to expect to remain with
the same employer (87% of completers and 86% of current apprentices) and those aged
19-24 the least likely (74% of completers and 73% of current apprentices).
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 8.2 Proportion of apprentices expecting to stay with the same employer (or
in the same sector) for the next 2 to 3 years
Current
Completers in employment
8%
8%
Not with same
employer, but in
same sector
12%
15%
12%
15%
15%
12%
Stay with same
employer
Current
Base: Current
Apprentices – 2,410
87%
86%
79%
76%
All Current
(2,410)
Under 19
(786)
77%
74%
75%
73%
Under 19
(757)
19-24
(779)
Completers
Base: Apprentices who
have finished their
course and are
currently employed –
1,984
19-24 (736) 25 or over
All
(888)
Completers
employed
(1,984)
25 or over
(448)
N.B. Excludes those on provider-led Apprenticeships
Aspiration toward further learning and training
As shown in the chart below, just under half (49%) of current apprentices thought it very
likely that they would undertake further training or learning leading to a qualification within
2-3 years of finishing their course, and a further large group (32%) felt it was quite likely.
This finding did not vary much between groups of apprentices; however those who first
started their Apprenticeship aiming to enter or progress in their chosen career were
significantly more likely to aspire toward more qualifications, with over half (54%) in the
‘very likely’ category, compared to a minority (40%) of those who started their
Apprenticeship with the aim of being paid whilst training. However, the difference overall is
not large, and many apprentices in all categories aspired to further training.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 8.3 Proportion of current apprentices expecting to undertake further
learning or training leading to a qualification within 2 to 3 years of finishing their
course
Very likely
49%
40%
54%
47%
Quite likely
Base: Current Apprentices
– 2,500
39%
32%
All current (2,500)
31%
31%
Enter or progress in Achieve a qualification
chosen career
(834)
(1,244)
To be paid whilst
training (336)
Finally, the specific types of qualification aspired toward vary significantly by the level of
the course currently being taken by the Apprentice.
Level 2 apprentices were most likely to plan to carry out a Level 3 NVQ or Diploma (30%)
or Level 3 Apprenticeship (29%), with relatively few planning to take other qualifications,
although 7% aimed to get a degree. Current Level 3 apprentices were considering a wider
range of qualifications: they were likely to aspire toward a more advanced Apprenticeship
(19%), Degree (15%), Level 3 NVQ or Diploma (9%), an HNC (Higher National Certificate)
(9%) or a Foundation Degree (7%).
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Figure 8.4 Types of training current apprentices expect to start in the 2 to 3 years
following the completion of their Apprenticeship
30%
Level 3 NVQ / Diploma
29%
Level 3 Apprenticeship
7%
Degree
Level 4+ Apprenticeship
Other Level 2 Qualification
5%
4%
Base: Current Level 2 Apprentices who are ‘very likely’ or ‘quite likely’ to undertake further training leading to a
qualification within the next 2 to 3 years – 1,242
19%
Level 4+ Apprenticeship
15%
Degree
Level 3 NVQ / Diploma
9%
HNC (Higher National Certificate)
9%
Foundation Degree
Level 2
7%
Base: Current Level 3 Apprentices who are ‘very likely’ or ‘quite likely’ to undertake further training leading to a
qualification within the next 2 to 3 years – 809
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Level 3
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Chapter 9: Conclusions
This evaluation has provided a comprehensive review of Apprenticeships through the eyes
of learners. It provides timely evidence of the real value of Apprenticeships to individuals,
whether they are new to the workforce or building on their existing experience.
The findings of this evaluation come at a time when there is significant focus from
government on ensuring that value and quality underpin the continuing expansion of
Apprenticeships. The National Apprenticeship Service has emphasised that the
fundamental minimum standard for Apprenticeships is that they should offer the three key
elements of employment, new learning and a nationally recognised qualification.
This section brings together some key themes emerging from the evaluation, and the
implications for Apprenticeship strategy.
It is clear that satisfaction with Apprenticeships is high. Almost nine in ten apprentices
(89%) were satisfied (gave an overall satisfaction rating of at least six out of ten) and 71%
very satisfied (at least eight out of ten). The proportion satisfied rose to 92% amongst
completers. Less than one in twenty expressed dissatisfaction, giving a score of less than
five out of ten.
The vast majority of learners benefit from high quality training as part of their
Apprenticeship. Nine in ten were satisfied with the quality of training, the way their training
provider had dealt with on-the-job assessments, and the quality of feedback received.
A key objective of this evaluation has been to look at the extent to which investment in
Apprenticeships is having an impact on the skills and abilities of learners, and their future
prospects for successful employment and progression. Apprentices should emerge with
highly relevant vocational skills that will allow them to progress their current job and career
in their chosen sector.
Learners do generally report a strongly positive impact of their Apprenticeship on
their skills and working life. Eight out of ten apprentices believe that their Apprenticeship
has improved their ability to do their job, provided them with sector-relevant skills and
knowledge, and improved their career prospects. The benefits for the individual can be felt
immediately – high proportions of learners are reporting improvements in their skills before
even completing their Apprenticeship. This is reflected in employer reports, with the
majority saying that the business benefits of employees undertaking Apprenticeships are
realised quickly.
There is also evidence of Apprenticeships contributing to individuals making
concrete progress at work in the year after completion. One third of individuals who
had finished their Apprenticeship had received a promotion (32%), and of those in work,
three quarters reported taking on more responsibility in their job (75%). Whilst it is difficult
for individuals to untangle the contribution of the Apprenticeship and the contribution of
other factors to these positive steps, over eight in ten of those who had progressed at work
(83%) felt that the Apprenticeship had helped them to achieve this to some degree.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Learner reports suggest that some Apprenticeship frameworks provide higher quality or
more impactful training than others; for example those undertaking Construction,
Planning and Built Environment Apprenticeships were the most likely to be satisfied
overall with their Apprenticeship, were the happiest with the amount of training they had
received, and almost universally said that the Apprenticeship had improved their ability to
do their job (98% did so). The mean overall satisfaction scores were lowest for Health,
Public Services and Care, Leisure, Travel and Tourism, Information and Communication
Technology and Other Apprenticeships (primarily Apprenticeships in ‘Supporting teaching
and learning in schools’).
It is important, however, to understand that these differences between framework
groups are partly driven by the characteristics of people undertaking these
Apprenticeships, as well as intrinsic elements of the Apprenticeship itself. For instance,
the below average satisfaction ratings for Health, Public Services and Care
Apprenticeships are associated with the higher proportion of older learners in this group
(learners aged 25 plus tended to be less satisfied overall) and with the higher than
average proportion of these apprentices who were existing employees when they started
their Apprenticeship (again, on average this group were less satisfied). Young people
(aged under 19) who were recruited specifically as apprentices were the group most
satisfied with their Apprenticeship, and saw the most improvement in their skills.
Using the full range of evidence from this evaluation, it is possible to identify with
confidence particular scenarios where Apprenticeship provision is more likely to fall below
learner expectations, and/or where apprentices are less likely to report new learning and
improvements in skills. These factors cut across different frameworks and different types
of apprentice. The following represent areas that might be addressed in order to drive the
quality of learner experience even higher, and ensure maximum return on investment in
Apprenticeships.
1)
Employers requiring individuals to undertake Apprenticeships, but failing to
train, support and engage with the individual throughout their course.
Where an employer requires the individual to undertake an Apprenticeship, the individual
was less satisfied with their experience overall – it is important that learners do not feel
that they are being forced into Apprenticeships by employers. Equally, where employers
do ask existing employees to take an Apprenticeship, learner reports suggest that the
employer generally provides less support and is less involved in the structure, delivery and
content of the Apprenticeship.
This is important because where apprentices expressed dissatisfaction with the level of
employer support they were much less likely than those very satisfied to say that they had
improved skills and knowledge of benefit in their current area of work (68% vs. 88%).
Where the learner described the motivation for undertaking the Apprenticeship as ‘to get a
qualification’, they were less likely to report gaining new skills.
It would seem that there are a significant minority of cases where employers are using
Apprenticeships to certify skills that employees already possess, and that employer’s
involvement or engagement in developing the Apprentice is minimal.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
2)
Short duration Apprenticeships and incidences of low training input.
The evaluation has found that learners who undertook Apprenticeships lasting less than
six months (7% of the weighted sample) are less likely to gain new skills and progress in
their career than those doing longer courses. For example, the vast majority (90%) of
apprentices with courses of longer than a year felt they had (or would) acquire skills or
knowledge of benefit within their sector, compared to about two thirds (66%) of those on
courses lasting less than 6 months.
Where learners reported receiving no formal training or informal on-the-job training from a
training provider or employer (9% of apprentices), the impact of the Apprenticeship was
significantly compromised. Only just over half (54%) believed that the Apprenticeship had
improved their ability to do their job (compared to 79% of all apprentices).
3)
Fixed-term contracts and their influence on the likelihood of sustained
employment.
The evaluation has revealed that only around half of people recruited specifically as an
apprentice were still with the same employer around 12 months after finishing their
Apprenticeship (54%). The outcomes were worse for the substantial minority of
apprentices (15%) who were recruited specifically on a fixed-term contract only lasting the
length of their Apprenticeship. Looking at the outcomes for these apprentices in the
completer group, less than half had stayed on with their Apprenticeship employer on a
renewed contract (45%), and nearly one fifth (18%) were unemployed (compared to the
overall rate of 8%).
Therefore, there is room for improvement in ensuring that employers offer sustained
employment opportunities for apprentices to allow them to build on their skills.
Efforts to address some of these issues have already been set in motion, for
example it was announced in November 2011 that there would be an independent,
employer led review into Apprenticeship Standards. The National Apprenticeship Service
and the Skills Funding Agency’s comprehensive review of all short duration programmes
has already resulted in the withdrawal of inadequate sub-contracted provision and is
intended to lead to significant improvements across many Apprenticeships. Building on
this, new minimum standards for the length of Apprenticeships will come into force from
August 2012 subject to consultation with providers and employers, as a further measure to
drive up quality. For those aged 19 and over Apprenticeships will last between one to four
years unless prior learning or attainment has been recorded. Apprenticeships for 16-18
year olds will last a minimum of 12 months without exception.
Whilst this evaluation has provided support for these interventions as the right way
of maximising the impact of Apprenticeships, a key overarching message is that,
from the learner’s point of view, Apprenticeships are meeting their requirements.
Even in cases where the learner has only benefitted from six months of training, or reports
that they have not seen any direct benefits in their skills, the large majority of such learners
are still overwhelmingly positive. The high satisfaction ratings amongst those who show no
specific improvement in their skills or ability to do their job suggests that they got what they
wanted out of the Apprenticeship, specifically, a formal recognition of their existing skills. It
is important to recognise this potential disjoint in the views of learners (who see
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
accreditation as a positive step towards career progression) and current policies
which hold the development of new skills as the key to making Apprenticeships
deliver for the economy.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Appendix A – Framework
Groupings
Table A1.1 Broad framework areas with key constituent Apprenticeship
frameworks
‘*’ signifies > 0% but less than 0.5%.
% of all
Apprenticeships
Business, Administration and Law
Business Administration
Customer Service
Team Leading and Management
Accountancy
Retail and Commercial Enterprise
Retail
Hairdressing
Hospitality and Catering
26
11
9
5
1
22
8
6
5
Warehousing and Storage
Cleaning and Support Service Industry
Health, Public Services and Care
Health and Social Care
Children’s Care Learning and Development
Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
Engineering
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair
Food Manufacture
Construction, Planning and the Built Environment
Construction
Electrotechnical
MES Plumbing
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and
Refrigeration
Leisure, Travel and Tourism
Active Leisure and Learning
Travel and Tourism Services Leisure and Business
Aviation Operations on the Ground
Sporting Excellence
Information and Communication Technology
IT and Telecoms Professional
IT User
Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care
Horticulture
Equine Industry
Veterinary Nursing
Land-Based Service Engineering
Animal Care
Other
Supporting teaching and learning in schools
Creative and Digital Media
Creative Apprenticeship
1
1
18
10
7
14
6
3
1
9
4
3
1
*
4
3
*
*
*
3
2
1
2
1
*
*
*
*
1
1
*
*
% of Apprenticeships
within each broad
framework area
41
35
19
3
38
27
24
5
3
53
40
45
20
4
43
37
15
5
76
11
8
5
56
44
31
18
15
6
5
85
7
5
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Appendix B – Multivariate analysis
Logit and ordered logit models
For binary outcome variables, the probability of that variable being equal to one can be
expressed as:
where
is a cumulative distribution function (cdf) and
where x1…xk are variables indicating characteristics of individual i and their
Apprenticeship training. The logit model assumes that
is a logistic cumulative
distribution. In the logit model then, the probability of success can be written as
,
and the probability of a failure as
.
The logit model is estimated using maximum likelihood estimation. Taking the ratio of a
success to a failure, the odds ratio, results in
.
The odds ratios, which are the main results presented for the logit models examined in the
following sections, indicates the odds of one group (e.g. females) having the outcome 1
compare to outcome 0 relative to the odds for another group (e.g. males). In the analysis
that follows, the explanatory variables include only discrete variables so that this
interpretation of the odds ratio is appropriate.
The logit estimation results can be used to calculate the odds ratios by taking the inverse
log of the estimated function Zi evaluated at the particular values of X of interest. The
probabilities of success associated with particular values of the explanatory variables is
simply
.
In the discussion that follows, both binary and ordered outcome variables have been
considered. In the case of dependent variables with more than two categories and where
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
these categories are in a meaningful order, an ordinal logit model has been estimated. The
ordered logit model can be considered a generalisation of the binary outcome logit model
(above). In the ordered logit model, an underlying score, as Zi above, is estimated as a
linear function of the explanatory variables and as set of cutpoints (rather than one
constant term, β0). The probability of any particular outcome, i, being observed, is equal to
the probability that the estimated Zi plus random error, falls within the range of the
cutpoints estimated for that outcome.
All models were estimated using Stata with weighted data and robust standard errors.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Appendix C – Questionnaire
Private & Confidential
J5040L
Apprenticeships: Evaluations Survey of Learners
Telephone
Screener
ASK PERSON WHO ANSWERS PHONE
Good morning / afternoon / evening. My name is NAME and I'm calling from IFF Research.
Please can I speak to NAMED RESPONDENT?
Respondent answers phone
1
Transferred to respondent
2
Hard appointment
3
CONTINUE
MAKE APPOINTMENT
Soft Appointment
4
Moved and new telephone number
5
Moved – NO new contact details
6
Never heard of person / wrong number
7
Refusal
8
COLLECT NEW
NUMBER
CLOSE
Not available in deadline
9
Business Number
10
Dead line/ Fax Line
11
ASK ALL
Good morning / afternoon, my name is <NAME> calling from IFF Research, an
independent market research company. We are undertaking a study on behalf of the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the National Apprenticeship
Service about perceptions of Apprenticeships, and the benefits people gain from doing
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
them. Would you be prepared to spend 20 minutes on the phone just to go through some
questions?
Continue
1
Hard appointment
2
CONTINUE
MAKE APPOINTMENT
Soft appointment
3
Refusal
4
Not available in deadline
5
Never heard of Apprenticeships
6
THANK AND CLOSE
REASSURANCES TO USE IF NECESSARY
The interview will take around 20 minutes to complete.
Please note that all data will be reported in aggregate form and your answers will
not be reported to our client in any way that would allow you to be identified.
If respondent wishes to confirm validity of survey or get more information about aims
and objectives, they can call:
MRS: Market Research Society: 0500 396999
IFF: Laura Godwin: XXXXXXXXXXX
BIS: Vikki McAuley: XXXXXXXXXXX
Where did you get my name from?
We got it from the information you gave your provider which they provide to the
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Skills Funding Agency.
Screening and basic individual details
ASK ALL
Our records show that you [IF COMPLETER: completed] [IF CURRENT: are currently
doing] a < LEVEL 2 / LEVEL 3 > <SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK> [IF LEVEL 3: Advanced]
Apprenticeship [IF COMPLETER: in the last 12 months or so]. Is this correct?
SINGLE CODE
Yes
GO TO INSTRUCTIONS
ABOVE A4
No
ASK A2
IF NO (A1 = 2)
Can I check whether you....?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
IF CURRENT: Completed an Apprenticeship in the
last 12 months or so
1
IF COMPLETED: Are currently doing an
Apprenticeship
2
Were on an apprenticeship programme but did not
128
THANK AND
CLOSE
3
ASK A3
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
complete it
Have never been an apprentice
4
THANK AND
CLOSE
Other (PLEASE SPECIFY)
5
THANK AND
CLOSE
Don’t know
6
THANK AND
CLOSE
IF FAILED TO COMPLETE THEIR APPRENTICESHIP (A2 = 3)
Can I ask why you did not complete your apprenticeship?
WRITE IN
A3A
How long were doing an Apprenticeship for before you left?
PROMPT IF NECESSARY
Less than 6 months
Between 6 months and up to 1 year
Between a year and 18 months
Between 19 months and 2 years
2-3 years
4-5 years
More than 5 years
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Don’t know
A3CLOSE
READ OUT: Thank you for your interest in this research. At the moment, we need to talk
to people who completed their Apprenticeship. It would be really useful though if we could
contact you again in future if we were doing other research about Apprenticeships.
Would you be happy to be contacted again by IFF Research in the future?
Yes
1
ASK A3CON
No
2
THANK AND CLOSE
IF WILLING TO BE RECONTACTED BY IFF IN FUTURE (A3CLOSE = 1)
A3CON
Thank you. Please could I take your telephone number and email address so
we can contact you in future?
INTERVIEWER WRITE IN BELOW
WRITE IN
REFUSED
LANDLINE
X
MOBILE
X
EMAIL ADDRESS
X
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
IF A2 = 3, THANK AND CLOSE
IF COMPLETER. OTHERS GO TO A7
Since completing your < LEVEL 2 / LEVEL 3 > <SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK> [IF LEVEL 3:
Advanced] Apprenticeship, have you gone on to undertake another Apprenticeship?
Yes
1
READ OUT TEXT
BELOW
No
2
ASK A5
IF YES
For the purposes of this survey I’d like you to answer about the < LEVEL 2 / LEVEL 3 >
<SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK> [IF LEVEL 3: Advanced] Apprenticeship you completed and
not this other Apprenticeship that you went on to do.
IF COMPLETER
What is your current employment status?
PROMPT IF NECESSARY. SINGLE CODE. IF RESPONDENT MENTIONS MORE THAN
ONE, PROBE FOR THE MAIN ACTIVITY
Employed full-time ( 30 + hrs/wk)
1
Employed part-time (less than 30 hrs/wk)
2
Self-employed
3
Engaged in voluntary work
4
In full-time education at school / college
5
In part-time education at college
6
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
At university
7
Engaged in other training
8
Taking time out or a gap year
9
Unemployed
10
Other (PLEASE SPECIFY)
11
Don’t know
12
IF COMPLETER AND STILL EMPLOYED (A5 = 1 or 2)
Are you still employed by the same organisation with whom you completed your
Apprenticeship?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
No
IF CURRENT
Are you still employed by the same organisation with whom you started your
Apprenticeship?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
ASK ALL
Which of the following best describes the basis on which you [IF COMPLETER: were
employed when doing your Apprenticeship] [IF CURRENT: are employed]?
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
On a permanent or open-ended contract
1
On a fixed-term contract lasting the length of the Apprenticeship
2
On a fixed-term contract lasting longer than this
3
Employed on another basis (PLEASE SPECIFY)
4
Were you already working for the employer when you started your Apprenticeship, or were
you recruited specifically as an apprentice?
Already working for them when started
1
Recruited specifically as an apprentice
2
Other (PLEASE SPECIFY)
3
Don’t know / Can’t remember
4
ASK A10
GO TO B2
IF ALREADY WORKING FOR THEM WHEN STARTED (A9 = 1)
Roughly how long had you been employed by this employer prior to starting an
Apprenticeship?
PROMPT IF NECESSARY. SINGLE CODE.
Less than 6 months
1
6 months to a year
2
1 -2 years
3
3-5 years
4
5-10 years
5
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
More than 10 years
6
Don’t know / Can’t remember
7
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Motivations
DELETED
ASK ALL
B2
Which of the following was the main reason you decided to take up an
Apprenticeship?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
B3
To enter into or progress in your chosen career
1
Achievement of a qualification
2
Opportunity to be paid whilst training
3
(DO NOT READ OUT) None of the above / Some other reason
(PLEASE SPECIFY)
4
DELETED
ASK ALL
And before you started your Apprenticeship, did you discuss or get information about
Apprenticeships from any of the following...?
READ OUT. MULTICODE.
IF MORE THAN ONE MENTIONED AT B4 (ONLY SHOW CODES MENTIONED AT B4)
And which of these was most influential in your decision to undertake Apprenticeships?
READ OUT EACH MENTIONED AT B4. SINGLE CODE.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
B4
B5
The Apprenticeships website (ADD IF NECESSARY / NEEDS
CONFIRMING: www.apprenticeships.org.uk)
1
1
Other websites (PLEASE SPECIFY)
2
2
IF EMPLOYED WITH ANOTHER EMPLOYER PRIOR TO
APPRENTICESHIP (A9/ 2 or 3)] An employer you were working for
before starting your Apprenticeship
3
3
The employer you [IF COMPLETER: did] [IF CURRENT: are doing]
your Apprenticeship with
4
4
A school or college you were studying at before starting your
Apprenticeship
5
5
The college or learning provider you ended up doing your
Apprenticeship with
6
6
Careers Advisor, Next Step or Connexions service
7
7
Jobcentre Plus
8
8
Friends or family
9
9
Anyone or anywhere else? (PLEASE SPECIFY)
10
10
None of these
11
11
Don’t know
12
12
ALL WHO JOINED THEIR EMPLOYER AS AN APPRENTICE (A9 = 2 OR 3). OTHERS GO TO B13.
Did you only apply for Apprenticeships in the sector you eventually worked or did you
apply more widely?
SINGLE CODE.
Only applied for Apprenticeships in sector eventually
worked
1
Applied more widely
2
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
ALL WHO JOINED THEIR EMPLOYER AS AN APPRENTICE (A9 = 2 OR 3)
In total, roughly how many applications for Apprenticeships did you make prior to starting
your <SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK>Apprenticeship?
IF DON’T KNOW ASK RANGE (1-4, 5-9, 10-19, 20-49, 50+, DON’T KNOW)
WRITE IN
Which of the following have you used to apply for Apprenticeship vacancies?
READ OUT. MULTICODE.
The Apprenticeship Vacancies System (on the Apprenticeships
website (ADD IF NECESSARY / NEEDS CONFIRMING
www.apprenticeships.org.uk)
1
Direct to the employer
2
A college or other learning provider
3
Connexions service
4
Jobcentre Plus
5
Online job sites
6
Have you applied through any other means? (PLEASE
SPECIFY)
7
Don’t know
8
Was the process of applying for and getting an Apprenticeship...?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Very easy
1
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ASK B12
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Quite easy
2
Quite hard
3
ASK B10
Very hard
4
(DO NOT READ OUT) Don’t know
5
ASK B12
IF APPLYING WAS HARD (B9 = 3 OR 4)
Why do you say that? What difficulties did you face?
WRITE IN
DELETED
ALL WHO JOINED THEIR EMPLOYER AS AN APPRENTICE (A9 = 2 OR 3)
When you were first considering starting an Apprenticeship did you consider any of the
following alternatives to doing an Apprenticeship...?
READ OUT. MULTICODE
Staying on in 6th Form or going into 6th Form College
1
Working towards a qualification in a Further Education College
2
Going to University
3
Getting a job without being involved in an Apprenticeship
4
Staying in a job you already had without doing the
138
5
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Apprenticeship
Did you consider any other alternatives (PLEASE SPECIFY)
6
No alternatives considered
7
Don’t know
8
ALL ALREADY WORKING FOR EMPLOYER (A9=1)
And can I just check, did your employer require you to do an Apprenticeship, did they
strongly recommend that you do one or was the decision largely yours?
Employer required you to do an Apprenticeship
1
Employer strongly recommended
2
Decision largely yours
3
Don’t know
4
When you were first considering starting an Apprenticeship did you consider any of the
following alternatives to doing an Apprenticeship...?
READ OUT. MULTICODE
[IF NOT EMPLOYER REQUIRED (B13 ~= 1)] Staying in your job without
doing the Apprenticeship
1
Moving to another job
2
Working towards a qualification in a Further Education College
3
Going to University
4
Did you consider any other alternatives (PLEASE SPECIFY)
5
No alternatives considered
6
Don’t know
7
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
IF CONSIDERED ANY ALTERNATIVES (B12 = 1 – 6 OR B14 = 1 – 5)
And would you say that doing an Apprenticeship was your preferred choice at the time,
would you have rather have done something else or did you not mind either way?
Apprenticeship preferred choice
1
Would rather have done something else
2
Didn’t mind
3
Don’t know
4
IF RATHER HAVE DONE SOMETHING ELSE (B15= 2)
Why did you not pursue these alternatives?
WRITE IN
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
TRAINING
ASK ALL
How long [IF COMPLETER: was] [IF CURRENT: is] the Apprenticeship intended to last
from start to finish]?
PROMPT IF NECESSARY. SINGLE CODE.
Less than 6 months
1
Between 6 months and up to 1 year
2
Between a year and 18 months
3
Between 19 months and 2 years
4
2-3 years
5
4-5 years
6
More than 5 years
7
Don’t know
8
IF COMPLETER AND KNOWS COURSE LENGTH (C1 ~= 8).
Did you think this amount of time was too long, too short or just about right?
SINGLE CODE.
Too long
1
Too short
2
Just about right
3
Don’t know
4
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
DELETED
ASK ALL
And thinking about the training you [IF CURRENT: have] received as part of your
Apprenticeship...
Yes
No
Don’t
know
[IF COMPLETER: Did you go] [IF CURRENT: Have you
been] to a college or an external training provider to receive
training?
1
2
3
[IF COMPLETER: Did you receive] [IF CURRENT: Have
you received] formal training sessions at your workplace
from either your employer or training provider, separate to
any training you may receive on the job?
1
2
3
[IF COMPLETER: Did you receive] [IF CURRENT: Have
you received] on the job training at your workplace from
either your employer or training provider?
1
2
3
[IF COMPLETER: Did you fill in] [IF CURRENT: Have you
filled in] your Apprenticeship portfolio during work?
1
2
3
[IF COMPLETER: Did you do] [IF CURRENT Have you
done:] work or learning towards your Apprenticeship in your
own time
1
2
3
[IF COMPLETER: Did] Do you do any other type of learning
as part of your Apprenticeship (PLEASE SPECIFY)
1
2
3
FOR EACH YES
And approximately how many hours of training, teaching and tuition, [IF COMPLETER:
did] [IF CURRENT: do] you receive on average per week for [INSERT TEXT SUB FROM
C4]?
PROMPT IF NECESSARY.
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
WRITE IN
going to a college or an external training
provider to receive training
formal training sessions at your workplace
from either your employer or training
provider, separate to any training you may
receive on the job
on the job training at your workplace from
either your employer or training provider
filling in your Apprenticeship portfolio during
work
work or learning towards your
Apprenticeship in your own time
any other type of learning as part of your
Apprenticeship (PLEASE SPECIFY)
IF DON’T KNOW FOR ANY, PROMPT:
Less than 1 hour
1
1 – 5 hours
2
6 – 10 hours (CODE HERE IF 1 DAY A
WEEK)
3
11 – 15 hours
4
16 – 20 hours
5
21 - 25 hours
6
26 – 30 hours
7
Over 30 hours
8
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
None
9
Don’t know
10
ASK ALL
C6 [IF COMPLETER: Were] [IF CURRENT: Are] you given paid leave from work to
study or attend college?
Yes
1
No
2
Don’t know
3
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Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Satisfaction with Apprenticeships
ASK ALL
Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied [IF COMPLETER: were] [IF CURRENT: are] you with
your <SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK> Apprenticeship? Please use a scale of 0 to 10 where 0
is very dissatisfied, 5 is neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 10 is very satisfied.
SINGLE CODE.
Very dissatisfied
Overall satisfaction
0
1
2
3
Don’t
know
Very satisfied
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
IF DISSATISFIED (D1 = 0 – 4)
Why [IF COMPLETER: were] [IF CURRENT: are] you dissatisfied?
WRITE IN
ASK ALL
Did you have any say in what was covered as part of your Apprenticeship training, or how
it was delivered?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
145
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Don’t know
3
Would you have liked to have had more say?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
Don’t know
3
DELETED
DELETED
146
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
ASK ALL
How satisfied have you been with the following aspects of your Apprenticeship? Please
use a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 is very dissatisfied, 5 is neither satisfied nor dissatisfied,
and 10 is very satisfied.
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
PLEASE ROTATE ITERATIONS
Very dissatisfied
Don’t
know
Very satisfied
The quality of the training
you have received from your
college or training provider
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The feedback you have
received from them on your
progress
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The amount of training
received each week
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The relevance of the training
to your [IF NOT WORKING
(A5 ~= 1 – 3): career] job
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The balance the
Apprenticeship provides
between training and work
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
DELETED
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
DELETED
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The way you are assessed on
the job
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The extent to which your
employer is involved in the
0
structure, delivery and
content of the Apprenticeship
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
147
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Very dissatisfied
Don’t
know
Very satisfied
The support that your
employer has provided you
with throughout the
Apprenticeship
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The skills that it has given
you that you can apply in
your [IF NOT WORKING A5
~= 1 – 3: career] job
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The level of pay
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
EACH DISSATISFIED AT D7_1, D7_5, D7_8, D7_11 (D7_X = 0 – 4), UP TO MAXIMUM
OF THREE.
And why were you dissatisfied with [TEXT SUB]?
WRITE IN
ASK ALL
As you may be aware there are a number of elements within an Apprenticeship
framework. I’d like to know how valuable each are for you, on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 is
not at all valuable and 10 is extremely valuable. So first....
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
PLEASE ROTATE ITERATIONS
Very dissatisfied
148
Very satisfied
Don’t
know
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Very dissatisfied
Don’t
know
Very satisfied
The vocational qualification,
such as an NVQ [ADD IF
NECESSARY: THIS IS
SOMETIMES REFERRED TO
AS THE COMPETENCY
ELEMENT]
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
The technical certificate [ADD
IF NECESSARY: THIS IS
SOMETIMES REFERRED TO
AS THE KNOWLEDGE
ELEMENT]
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Transferable skills, sometimes
known as key skills or functional
skills, covering such areas as
0
ICT, communication and
application of numbers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
DELETED
DELETED
ASK ALL
What additional information, advice or guidance, if any, would you have liked regarding
your Apprenticeship?
WRITE IN
Nothing
149
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Don’t know
D13-D17 DELETED
ASK ALL
[IF LEVEL 2: A Level 2 Apprenticeship is broadly equivalent to 5 GCSEs, grade A – C] /
IF LEVEL 3: A Level 3 Apprenticeship is broadly equivalent to 2 or more A levels]. In
terms of each of the following, which of the two would you say...
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
[IF LEVEL 2:
GCSEs]
Apprenticeship
[IF LEVEL 3: A
Levels]
Neither /
Don’t
the
know
same
[IF IN EMPLOYMENT
(CURRENT OR A5 = 1
– 3)]
1
Is more useful to you in
your current job?
2
3
4
Will be more useful to
you in your career?
1
2
3
4
Is harder to complete?
1
2
3
4
150
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Impact of Apprenticeship
ASK ALL
I’d now like to ask you a few questions regarding the benefits and outcomes you might
have gained from [IF COMPLETER: completing] [IF CURRENT: undertaking] <SPECIFIC
FRAMEWORK> your Apprenticeship.
What impact has [IF COMPLETER: completing] [IF CURRENT: undertaking] your
Apprenticeship has had on the following...? For each please tell me whether you have
improved a lot, improved a little, whether there has been no change, whether you are little
worse or a lot worse.
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Improv
No
A little
Improv
ed a
change worse
ed a lot
little
A lot
worse
Don’t
know
1
2
3
4
5
6
Having skills and knowledge
that are of benefit in your [IF
CURRENT OR COMPLETER IN
EMPLOYMENT (A5//1-3)
1
current] [IF COMPLETER NOT
IN EMPLOYMENT (A5/NOT 13) desired] area of work
2
3
4
5
6
Having skills and knowledge
that can be used across a range
of jobs and industries
1
2
3
4
5
6
Your career prospects
1
2
3
4
5
6
Your numeracy
1
2
3
4
5
6
Your literacy
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
Your ability to do your job
Your team work, communication
151
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
and social skills
Your IT skills
1
2
3
4
5
6
And in terms of your own personal development, to what extent do you agree or disagree
that as a result of [IF COMPLETER: completing your] [IF CURRENT: undertaking your]
<SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK> Apprenticeship you have…?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
Neither
Strongl
Slightly agree
y
nor
disagre
agree
agree
e
Strongl
Slightly
y
Don’t
disagr
disagr know
ee
ee
Become more enthusiastic
about learning
1
2
3
4
5
6
Got a better idea about what
you want to do in your life
1
2
3
4
5
6
Become more confident about
your abilities
1
2
3
4
5
6
Improved your quality of life
1
2
3
4
5
6
More likely to undertake further
1
learning and training
2
3
4
5
6
IF COMPLETER AND STILL EMPLOYED (A5 = 1 – 3)
Have any of the following things happened since completing your apprenticeship?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
IF ANY OUTCOMES MENTIONED AS “YES” (E3A to E3E = 1)
Do you think [IF ONE YES AT E2: this improvement was] [IF MORE THAN ONE YES AT
E2: these improvements were] a direct result of you completing an Apprenticeship, do you
think it helped, or do you think it made no difference?
152
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
SINGLE CODE.
E3
E4
Yes
No
Don’t
know /
Not
releva
nt
a) Have you had a
promotion?
1
2
3
b) Are you getting more
job satisfaction
1
2
3
c) Do you have better
job security?
1
2
3
d) Have your future pay
and promotion
prospects improved?
1
2
3
e) Are you now doing a
job with more
responsibilities?
1
2
3
Directl
y
becaus
e of
the
course
The
cours
e
helpe
d
Made
no
differen
ce
(DO
NOT
READ
OUT)
Not sure
1
2
3
4
ASK ALL
On completion of your Apprenticeship [IF COMPLETER: did] [IF CURRENT: will] you
receive a wage increase?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
Don’t know
3
Not applicable – left the employer
4
153
ASK E6
ASK E7
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
DELETED
ASK ALL
Do you feel that your Apprenticeship has enabled you to earn more in the future?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
Don’t know
3
E8-E10
DELETED
IF COMPLETER
Since completing your < LEVEL 2 / LEVEL 3 > <SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK> [IF LEVEL 3:
Advanced] Apprenticeship, have you started, or are you currently considering, any of the
following... ?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Started
Considering Neither
LEVEL 2 ONLY A level 3, or Advanced
Apprenticeship
1
2
3
LEVEL 3 ONLY A level 4, or higher level
Apprenticeship
1
2
3
LEVEL 3 ONLY A Higher National Certificate
(HNC)
1
2
3
LEVEL 3 ONLY A Foundation Degree
1
2
3
LEVEL 3 ONLY A Degree (other than a
Foundation Degree)
1
2
3
154
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Some other form of training leading to a
qualification (PLEASE SPECIFY)
1
2
3
DELETED
ASK ALL
Have you shared with other employees what you have learned from your Apprenticeship
training?
IF YES: Is this often or infrequently?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes – often
1
Yes – infrequently
2
No
3
Don’t know
4
155
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
FUTURE PLANS
ASK ALL
I’d now like to ask you a few questions about your plans for the future.
As far as you can tell, how likely are you to...?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Very
likely
Quit
e
likel
y
Quite
unlikely
Very
Don’t
unlikel
know
y
IF COMPLETER AND WORKING (A5=13): Continue working with the same
employer for the next 2-3 years
1
2
3
4
5
IF COMPLETER AND WORKING AND
UNLIKELY TO BE WITH SAME
EMPLOYER IN NEXT 2-3 YRS (A5=1-3
AND F1_1 =3-4): Continue working in the
same sector in the next 2-3 years
1
2
3
4
5
IF CURRENT: Complete your
Apprenticeship
1
2
3
4
5
IF CURRENT: Remain with your current
employer for the next 2-3 years after you
finish your apprenticeship
1
2
3
4
5
IF CURRENT AND UNLIKELY TO
REMAIN WITH SAME EMPLOYER IN
NEXT 2-3 YRS (F1_4=3-4): Continue
working in the same sector in the next 2-3
years
1
2
3
4
5
IF THINK WILL NOT COMPLETE THEIR APPRENTICESHIP (F1C = 3 or 4)
156
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Why do you think it is unlikely that you will complete your apprenticeship?
WRITE IN
IF COMPLETER AND NOT WORKING (A5 = 4 – 12)
Are you currently looking for work?
Yes
1
No
2
ASK F4
ASK F8
Don’t know
3
157
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
IF COMPLETER AND LOOKING FOR WORK (F3=1)
And which of the following applies to the type of work you are looking for at the moment?
Are you looking for: ?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Work solely in a sector directly related to your Apprenticeship
1
Work across a number of sectors including the area your
Apprenticeship was in
2
Work in an area unrelated to your Apprenticeship
3
Any work
4
Don’t know
5
Do you feel that because of the Apprenticeship you completed you have significantly more
chance of finding a job, do you think your chance have improved slightly, or has it made no
difference?
SINGLE CODE.
Significantly more chance
1
Slightly more chance
2
No difference
3
Don’t know
4
IF CURRENT
And how likely are you to undertake further learning or training leading to a qualification [IF
COMPLETERS: in the next 2-3 years [IF CURRENT: within say 2-3 years of finishing
your [LEVEL 2 / LEVEL 3] Apprenticeship]?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
158
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Very likely
1
Quite likely
2
Quite unlikely
3
Very unlikely
4
(DO NOT READ OUT) Don’t know
5
IF LIKELY (F6 = 1 or 2)
What type of qualification(s) are you likely to undertake?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE.
IF L2 FROM SAMPLE: Level 3, Advanced apprenticeship
1
Level 3 NVQ or diploma
2
A Levels
3
Level 4, or higher level Apprenticeship
4
Higher National Certificate (HNC)
5
Higher National Diploma (HND)
6
Foundation Degree
7
Degree (other than a Foundation Degree) (inc. Masters, Honours,
PGCE, University)
8
Other Level 2 qualifications (e.g. NVQ Level 2, GCSEs)
9
Other Level 3 qualifications
10
Other Level 4 qualifications (inc. Nursing, Advanced Diploma, Social
Work, NVQ Level 4 or 5)
11
Other (PLEASE SPECIFY)
12
Don’t Know
13
159
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
ASK ALL
A) Have you recommended the <SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK> Apprenticeship, to anyone
else?
B) And have you receommended Apprenticeships in general to anyone else?
READ OUT. MULTICODE.
Yes
No
Don’t know
Yes - <SPECIFIC FRAMEWORK>
Apprenticeship
1
2
3
Yes - Apprenticeships
1
2
3
IF NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL (ALL ITERATIONS OF F8 = 2 OR 3)
Would you recommend Apprenticeships to others?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
(DO NOT READ OUT) Don’t know
3
160
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Demographics
ASK ALL
This last section is just to ask a few questions about you [IF EMPLOYED; and the
employer you work for]. The information we collect is for classification purposes only.
ASK ALL EMPLOYED
As far as you are aware, how many people [COMPLETERS WITH SAME EMPLOYER
(A6 = 1) OR CURRENT: work at the site where you work?] [COMPLETERS NO
LONGER WITH SAME EMPLOYER (A6 = 2): worked at the site where you completed
your Apprenticeship?]
INTERVIEWER NOTE – AT THE SITE / BRANCH THEY WORK AT, NOT THE ENTIRE
ORGANISATION.
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Fewer than 10
1
10-49
2
50-249
3
250-499
4
500 or more
5
(DO NOT READ OUT) Don’t know / refused
6
Is this workplace...?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
The only workplace in the organisation
1
ASK G4
Or is it the head office of an organisation with a number of
sites
2
ASK G3
161
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Or is it a branch of an organisation with a number of sites
3
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know
4
ASK G4
IF MULTISITE
Roughly how many people would you estimate work for this employer across the whole of
the UK?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
DP NOTE: ONLY SHOW CODES EQUAL TO OR ABOVE CODE MENTIONED AT G1.
IF DON’T KNOW AT G1 SHOW ALL CODES.
Fewer than 10
1
10-49
2
50-249
3
250 - 499
4
500 or more
5
(DO NOT READ OUT) Don’t
know
6
ASK ALL EMPLOYED
What sector does this employer belong to?
PROMPT IF NECESSARY. SINGLE CODE.
Financial services
1
Professional or business services
2
Retail or wholesale (inc. motor trades)
3
Hospitality, hotels or restaurants
4
162
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Manufacturing or Transport
5
Construction
6
Education
7
Health, Social Work and Childcare
8
Other Public Sector or public service organisations
9
Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care
10
Hair and Beauty
11
Arts, Entertainment, Sport and Recreation
12
Other (SPECIFY)
13
ASK G5 – G8 AND G9 IF DATA NOT COMPLETE ON ILR.
How old were you when you started your apprenticeship?
RECORD AGE.
IF REFUSED AT G5
Would you mind telling me in which age bands you fell into when you started your
apprenticeship?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Under 19 years
1
19 to 24 years
2
25 years or older
3
Refused
4
INTERVIEWER RECORD GENDER.
163
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
Male
1
Female
2
Which of the following best describes your ethnic background?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
WHITE British
1
WHITE Irish
2
WHITE Other background
3
MIXED White and Black Caribbean
4
MIXED White and Black African
5
MIXED White and Asian
6
MIXED Other mixed background
7
BLACK OR BLACK BRITISH Caribbean
8
BLACK OR BLACK BRITISH African
9
BLACK OR BLACK BRITISH Other
background
10
ASIAN OR ASIAN BRITISH Indian
11
ASIAN OR ASIAN BRITISH Pakistani
12
ASIAN OR ASIAN BRITISH Bangladeshi
13
ASIAN OR ASIAN BRITISH Other background
14
CHINESE
15
OTHER ETHNIC BACKGROUND
16
Don’t know / Prefer not to say
17
164
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
DP NOTE – THIS INFORMATION NOT ON ILR
G8A What is your religion, even if you are not currently practising?
PROMPT AS NECESSARY. SINGLE CODE.
Christian
1
Buddhist
2
Hindu
3
Jewish
4
Muslim
5
Sikh
6
Any other religion (WRITE IN)
7
No religion
8
Do you consider yourself to have any sort of disability or health condition that affects the
type of work you can do?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
Refused
3
DELETED
ASK ALL
Are you the chief income earner in your household?
165
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
ADD AS NECESSARY: The person who has the highest annual income.
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
Refused / Don’t know
3
ASK ALL EXCEPT IF REFUSED AT G11
What is [IF G11=2: the job title of the chief income earner of your household?] [IF G11=1:
your current job title?]
Probe for:
Position, rank or grade
Industry or type of company
Type of qualifications, degrees, apprenticeships needed for job
No. of staff responsible for
If unemployed/retired, probe for details of most recent job.
WRITE IN: ALLOW REFUSED
DELETED
166
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
ASK ALL
Thank you for answering these questions about your Apprenticeship. Before you
go, we would like to ask a few short questions about your general wellbeing. The
Government is interested in wellbeing generally and are asking questions about this in
each public survey.
G13A So on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is very dissatisfied, 5 is neither satisfied or
dissatisfied and 10 is very satisfied:
READ OUT, SINGLE CODE.
Very dissatisfied
Overall, how satisfied are you
with your life nowadays?
Don’t
know
Very satisfied
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Overall, how happy did you feel
0
yesterday?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Overall, how anxious did you
feel yesterday?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Overall, to what extent do you
feel the things you do in your
life are worthwhile?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Thank you very much for taking the time to help us with this research. Occasionally it is
necessary to call people back to clarify information or answers to questions. May we at
IFF contact you again if required?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills may conduct further research on this
issue. Are you prepared to be re-contacted by the Department for Business, Innovation
167
Evaluation of Apprenticeships: Learners
and Skills, IFF Research, or any other research consultants working for the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills, for these reasons?
SINGLE CODE.
Yes
1
No
2
IF WILLING TO BE RECONTACTED AGAIN IN FUTURE (G14=1 OR G15=1)
GCON
Thank you. Please could I take your telephone number and email address so
we can contact you in future?
INTERVIEWER WRITE IN BELOW.
WRITE IN
REFUSED
LANDLINE
X
MOBILE
X
EMAIL ADDRESS
X
THANK RESPONDENT AND CLOSE INTERVIEW
I declare that this survey has been carried out under IFF instructions and
within the rules of the MRS Code of Conduct.
Interviewer signature:
Date:
Finish time:
Interview Length
168
mins
© Crown copyright 2012
You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the
terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence,
write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email:
psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
This publication is also available on our website at www.bis.gov.uk
Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to:
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET
Tel: 020 7215 5000
If you require this publication in an alternative format, email enquiries@bis.gsi.gov.uk, or call 020 7215 5000.
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